Late Jurassic Early Cretaceous Research Articles

A Late Jurassic-?earliest Cretaceous ctenochasmatid (Pterosauria, Pterodactyloidea): The first report of pterosaurs from Uruguay

The Tacuarembó Formation contains a faunal assemblage with some taxa clearly indicative of a Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous age. In this context, the first remains of Uruguayan pterosaurs are described. These correspond to a dorsoventrally compressed and narrow fragment of a rostrum widening anteriorly, with alveoli and a very fragmentary dentition including a tooth base. The orientation of the alveoli and preserved tooth base allows the assumption that the teeth were projected laterally and forward from the dental borders. The deep interdental concavities make up a wavy contour of the lateral margins of the rostrum. Both morphology and size correspond to that observed in the ctenochasmatid gnathosaurines. The Uruguayan pterosaur remains represent the oldest ctenochasmatid found in South America and suggest an age of the fossiliferous horizon no older than Late Jurassic, which was already established on the basis of other fossils, such as Priohybodus arambourgui d'Erasmo, 1960.

Basin modelling of the SW Barents Sea

Abstract The SW Barents Sea is an epicontinental platform consisting of N- to NNE-oriented basins separated by basement highs. The basins were formed during four distinct rift-phases in the Carboniferous, Late Permian, Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous, and Paleocene-Eocene. Progressive rifting culminated in continental breakup and seafloor spreading along the North Atlantic axis approximately at 55 Ma. We present tectonic and thermal models of basin evolution along two seismic profiles crossing the SW Barents Sea. The thermal and isostatic history of basins is constrained through time-forward basin modelling based on an automated inverse basin reconstruction approach. We estimate the effects of continental breakup and near-margin processes (magmatic underplating and sill intrusions) on the thermal history and kerogen maturity below the Vestbakken Volcanic Province. Basin models are calibrated against well data. The results imply that both breakup and underplating alter the thermal and isostatic history of sediments along the margin. The hydrocarbon potential of source rocks modelled along the margin suggests breakup has a permanent thermal effect on the present-day sediments promoted by lateral heat flow, while heat conduction by underplating is more diffuse, inhibited to some degree by deeply-buried, low-conductivity shales and limestones.

Jurassic and Early Cretaceous Radiolarians of Siliceous Sequences of the Vaamychgyn–Podgornaya Interfluve, Econai Zone, Koryak Highland

The assemblages of the Early Jurassic (Hettangian–Pliensbachian) and Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous (Tithonian–Berriasian) radiolarians were described for the first time in the eastern part of the Ekonai Zone of the Koryak Highland. The Hettangian–Pliensbachian assemblage was found in siliceous rocks of the Ionai Nappe and this finding expands the stratigraphic interval of its siliceous sequences from the Carboniferous to the Early Jurassic. The Tithonian–Berriasian assemblage was found in volcanosiliceous rocks of the Yanranai accretionary complex. Both assemblages contain taxa abundant in the Tethyan regions.

Structural and petrographic constraints on the stratigraphy of the Lapataia Formation, with implications for the tectonic evolution of the Fuegian Andes

The structure of the Fuegian Andes central belt is characterized by a first phase of peak metamorphism and ductile deformation, followed by a brittle-ductile thrusting phase including juxtaposition of different (first phase) structural levels; both related to the closure and inversion of the Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous Rocas Verdes basin. The second phase involved thrust sheets of pre-Jurassic basement, as well as Upper Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous units from the volcanic-sedimentary fill of the basin. Rock exposures in the Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego reveal a diversity of metamorphic mineral assemblages, dynamic recrystallization grades and associated structures, evidencing a variety of protoliths and positions in the crust during their orogenic evolution. Among the units present in this sector, the Lapataia Formation portrays the higher metamorphic grade reported in the Argentine side of the Fuegian Andes, and since no precise radiometric ages have been established to date, its stratigraphic position remains a matter of debate: the discussion being whether it belongs to the pre-Jurassic basement, or the Upper Jurassic volcanic/volcaniclastic initial fill of the Rocas Verdes basin. The mapping and petrographic/microstructural study of the Lapataia Formation and those of undoubtedly Mesozoic age, allow to characterize the former as a group of rocks with great lithological affinity with the Upper Jurassic metamorphic rocks found elsewhere in the central belt of the Fuegian Andes. The main differences in metamorphic grade are indebted to its deformation at deeper crustal levels, but during the same stages than the Mesozoic rocks. Accordingly, we interpret the regional structure to be associated with the stacking of thrust sheets from different structural levels through the emplacement of a duplex system during the growth of the Fuegian Andes.

New articulated asteroids (Echinodermata, Asteroidea) and ophiuroids (Echinodermata, Ophiuroidea) from the Late Jurassic (Volgian / Tithonian) of central Spitsbergen

The Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous Slottsmøya Member of the Agardhfjellet Formation in central Spitsbergen has yielded two new species of asteroids and two species of ophiuroids, one of which is described as new. Polarasterias janusensis Rousseau & Gale gen. et sp. nov. is a forcipulatid neoasteroid with elongated arms, small disc and very broad ambulacral grooves with narrow adambulacrals. Savignaster septemtrionalis Rousseau & Gale sp. nov. is a pterasterid with well-developed interradial chevrons. The Spitsbergen specimens are the first described articulated material of Savignaster and reveal the overall arrangement of the ambulacral groove ossicles. Ophiogaleus sp. is an ophiacanthid with relatively long jaws and lateral arm plates, with a coarsely reticulate outer surface. Here again, we report the first articulated skeletons of this genus, providing unprecedented insights into the disc morphology. Ophioculina hoybergia Rousseau & Thuy gen. et sp. nov. is an ophiopyrgid with a well-developed arm comb and tentacle pores reduced to within-plate perforations starting at median arm segments. These new finds are important additions to the asterozoan fossil record with regard to their good degree of articulation and the high latitudinal position of the localities. They significantly add to the set of exhaustively known fossil asterozoan taxa which play a key role in the phylogenetic analysis and reconstruction of evolutionary history.

Sedimentary characteristics and provenance of the basal conglomerate of the Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous Jiaolai Basin, eastern China and their implications for the uplift of the Sulu Orogenic Belt

ABSTRACTThe basal conglomerates (‘Linsishan Conglomerate’, LC, herein) are exposed discontinuously along the northern part of the Sulu Orogenic Belt (SOB) and the southern part of the Jiaobei Terrane. Studying these conglomerates can offer key constrains for the formation age of the Jiaolai Basin and improve our understanding of the uplift and erosional histories of the SOB and Jiaobei Terrane, which are still in great controversy. In Huangyadi section, the LC is characterized as debris-flow deposits, channel deposits, and sheet-flow deposits. However, in Shanjiao section, the LC is changed to sheet-flow and sieve deposits, as well as debris-flow and channel deposits. These deposit characteristics indicate an unstable tectonic setting during initial opening stage of the basin. Based on the data of conglomerate component, palaeocurrent, and debris zircons ages, it can be inferred that the sediments in the Laiyang region were sourced from the Jiaobei Terrane and Northern Sulu Orogenic Belt (NSOB), and the sediments in the Zhucheng and Wulian regions were derived from the Jiaobei Terrane and the Southern Sulu Orogenic Belt (SSOB). Besides, the sediments in the Haiyang and Jimo regions were provided by the NSOB and SSOB, respectively. The significant SHRIMP U–Pb ages of a tuff developing in the LC has been obtained, indicating that 149 ± 2.5 Ma is the oldest age constraint for the Jiaolai Basin. In addition, our result shows that the Latest Jurassic (ca. 149 Ma) may be a critical time; before this time, the Jiaobei Terrane and the SOB experienced a rapid uplift with minimal uplift velocity (~0.9 km/Ma); since then, the Orogen began to collapse and a series of basins formed rapidly in its core, which indicate the tectonic stress regime of the Dabie-Sulu Orogen varied from compressional stress to tensile stress.

Mesozoic to Cenozoic tectonic transition process in Zhanhua Sag, Bohai Bay Basin, East China

The Zhanhua sag is part of the Bohai Bay intracontinental basin system that has developed since the Mesozoic in East China. The timing of this basin system coincides with the final assembly of East Asia and the development of Western Pacific-type plate margin. Here we use 3-D seismic and core log data to investigate the evolution of this basin and discuss its broad tectonic settings. Our new structural study of Zhanhua sag suggests that there are four major tectonic transitions occurred in the Bohai Bay Basin during Mesozoic and Cenozoic: (1) The first tectonic transition was from stable Craton to thrusting during the Triassic, mainly caused by the South China Block's subduction northward beneath the North China Block, which induced the formation of the NW-striking thrust faults. (2) The second tectonic transition was mainly characterized by a change from compression to extension, which can be further divided into two-stages. At the first stage, two episodes of NW-SE shortening occurred in East Asia during Early-Middle Jurassic and Late Jurassic-earliest Cretaceous, respectively. At the second stage, the extension and left-lateral shearing took place during Early Cretaceous while compression occurred during Late Cretaceous. The NW-striking thrust faults changed to normal faults and the NNE-striking left-lateral strike-slip faults started to influence the eastern part of the basin. (3) The third transition occurred when the NW-SE extension and NNE-striking right-lateral shearing started to form during Paleogene, and the peak deformation happen around 40 Ma due to the change of the subduction direction of Pacific Plate relative to Eurasia Plate. The NE-striking normal faults are the main structure, and the pre-existing NNE-striking strike-slip faults changed from left-lateral to right-lateral. (4) The fourth transition saw the regional subsidence during Neogene, which was probably caused by the India-Asia “Hard collision” between 25 and 20 Ma.

Syn-sedimentary tectonics and facies analysis in a rift setting: Cretaceous Dalmiapuram Formation, Cauvery Basin, SE India

The Cretaceous (Albian–Cenomanian) Dalmiapuram Formation is one of the economically significant constituents in the hydrocarbon-producing Cauvery rift basin, SE India that opened up during the Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous Gondwanaland fragmentation. The fossil-rich Dalmiapuram Formation, exposed at Ariyalur within the Pondicherry sub-basin of Cauvery Basin, rests in most places directly on the Archean basement and locally on the Lower Cretaceous (Barremian–Aptian) Basal Siliciclastic Formation. In the Dalmiapuram Formation, a facies association of tectonically-disturbed phase is sandwiched between two drastically quieter phases. The early syn-rift facies association (FA 1), records the first carbonate marine transgression within the basin, comprising a bar–lagoon system with occasionally storms affecting along the shore and a sheet-like non-recurrent biomicritic limestone bed on the shallow shelf that laterally grades into pyrite–glauconite-bearing dark-colored shale in the deeper shelf. Spectacular breccias together with varied kinds of mass-flow products comprise the syn-rift facies association (FA 2). While the breccias occur at the basin margin area, the latter extend in the deeper inland sea. Clast composition of the coarse clastics includes large, even block-sized limestone fragments and small fragments of granite and sandstone from the basement. Marl beds of quieter intervals between tectonic pulses occur in alternation with them. Faulted basal contact of the formation, and small grabens filled by multiple mass-flow packages bear the clear signature of the syntectonic activity localized contortions, slump folds, and pillow beds associated with mega slump/slide planes and joints, which corroborates this contention further. This phase of tectonic intervention is followed by another relatively quieter phase and accommodates the late syn-rift facies association (FA 3). A tidal bar–interbar shelf depositional system allowed a transgressive systems tract motif to grow eventually passing upwards into the Karai Shale Formation, whose contact with the Dalmiapuram Formation is gradational.

Erosional valleys at a major Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous unconformity offshore Germany and The Netherlands: potential reservoirs or deteriorated seals?

Abstract Joint results of two independent international studies on the erosional impact of the ‘Late Cimmerian Unconformity’ (LCU), a Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous erosional event, are presented. The potential impact on the reservoir and sealing potential of adjacent strata are discussed. Results are based on a seismic mapping campaign in the NE part of the Dutch offshore region and the Central German North Sea sector. The geological evolution of potential traps at the level of the LCU was studied to obtain a better understanding of reservoir potential. Erosion or leaching of the evaporitic Triassic intervals at the LCU caused a locally strong topographical relief with prominent elongated depressions along Permian salt structures (interpreted as erosional valleys). The infill of the erosional valleys may consist of remnants of initial strata as breccia or material from nearby eroded strata, possibly Lower Triassic sandstone or clays. These valleys may be overlain conformably by Upper Jurassic–Early Cretaceous sediments or may be filled with a combination of both. The lithological composition of the infill determines the sealing or the reservoir potential of the valleys, which is essential for further evaluation of the resource exploration possibilities in this locality and across the basin.

Early Cretaceous MORB-type basalt and A-type rhyolite in northern Tibet: Evidence for ridge subduction in the Bangong–Nujiang Tethyan Ocean

New zircon U–Pb ages, major- and trace-element data, and Hf isotopic compositions are presented for bimodal volcanic rocks of the Zhaga Formation (ZF) in the western–middle segment of the Bangong–Nujiang suture zone (BNSZ), northern Tibet. The genesis of these rocks is described, and implications for late-stage evolution of the Bangong–Nujiang Tethyan Ocean (BNTO) are considered. Detailed studies show that the ZF bimodal rocks, which occur as layers within a typical bathyal to abyssal flysch deposit, comprise MORB-type basalt that formed at a mid-ocean ridge, and low-K calc-alkaline A-type rhyolite derived from juvenile crust. The combination of MORB-type basalt, calc-alkaline A-type rhyolite, and bathyal to abyssal flysch deposits in the ZF leads us to propose that they formed as a result of ridge subduction. The A-type ZF rhyolites yield LA–ICP–MS zircon U–Pb ages of 118–112 Ma, indicating formation during the Early Cretaceous. Data from the present study, combined with regional geological data, indicate that the BNTO underwent conversion from ocean opening to ocean closure during the Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous. The eastern segment of the BNTO closed during this period, while the western and western–middle segments were still at least partially open and active during the Early Cretaceous, accompanied by ridge subduction within the Bangong–Nujiang Tethyan Ocean.

Facies architecture of the fluvial Missão Velha Formation (Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous), Araripe Basin, Northeast Brazil: paleogeographic and tectonic implications

Abstract Sedimentological analysis of the Missão Velha Formation (Araripe Basin, northeast Brazil) is the aim of this paper through detailed facies analysis, architectural elements, depositional systems and paleocurrent data. The main facies recognized were: (i) coarse-grained conglomeratic sandstones, locally pebbly conglomerates, with abundant silicified fossil trunks and several large-to-medium trough cross-stratifications and predominantly lenticular geometry; (ii) lenticular coarse-to-medium sandstones with some granules, abundant silicified fossil wood, and large-to-medium trough cross-stratifications, cut-and fill features and mud drapes on the foresets of cross-strata, (iii) poorly sorted medium-grained sandstones with sparse pebbles and with horizontal stratification, (iv) fine to very fine silty sandstones, laminated, interlayered with (v) decimetric muddy layers with horizontal lamination and climbing-ripple cross-lamination. Nine architectural elements were recognized: CH: Channels, GB: Gravel bars and bed forms, SB: Sand bars and bedforms, SB (p): sand bedform with planar cross-stratification, OF: Overbank flow, DA: Downstream-accretion macroforms, LS: Laminated sandsheet, LA: Lateral-accretion macroforms and FF: Floodplain fines. The lithofacies types and facies associations were interpreted as having been generated by alluvial systems characterized by (i) high energy perennial braided river systems and (ii) ephemeral river systems. Aeolian sand dunes and sand sheets generated by the reworking of braided alluvial deposits can also occur. The paleocurrent measurements show a main dispersion pattern to S, SE and SW, and another to NE/E. These features imply a paleodrainage flowing into the basins of the Recôncavo-Tucano-Jatobá.

Sr isotope composition in belemnites from the Jurassic–Cretaceous boundary section (Maurynya River, Western Siberia)

The belemnite Sr isotope characteristics obtained over an interval from the Upper Volgian Regional Substage to the lower part of the Ryazanian Regional Stage in the section on the Maurynya River (Western Siberia) fills a gap in the 87Sr/86Sr ocean water variation curve over the Jurassic–Cretaceous boundary. The increase in the 87Sr/86Sr values from 0.707172 to 0.707242 revealed in the section coincides with a general rise in this ratio in the Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous ocean.

Thermal modeling and hydrocarbon generation of the Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous Chia Gara Formation in Iraqi Kurdistan region, northern Zagros Fold Belt

The Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous Chia Gara Formation is an important oil-source rock in Iraqi Kurdistan region. Chia Gara source rock is characterised by high organic matter and sulphur content with Type II_S kerogen. 1D basin models were integrated with geological information and geochemical data from Chia Gara Fm at four well locations in Kurdistan region, northern Iraq. The models of the burial/thermal history indicate that Chia Gara Fm is presently in the peak-oil generation window and some oil cracked to gas during Late Eocene to Late Miocene time. Onset of oil-generation began during the Middle Paleocene- Early Oligocene (60–30 Ma). Oil was generated during the Late Eocene to Late Miocene (48–9 Ma). The models also suggest that the oil was expelled from Chia Gara source rock during the Late Eocene to Late Miocene (37–9 Ma), with a transformation ratio more than 50%. The high transformation ratio of more than 80% in two wells suggests that the generated oil was cracked to gas during the end of Middle Miocene time and continued to present day. The basin modeling results further suggest that Chia Gara Formation acts as a prolific petroleum-source rock and significant of oil and limited of gas have been generated and expelled to any nearby prospect reservoir rocks in the Kurdistan region.

Mesozoic-Cenozoic evolution of the Zoige depression in the Songpan-Ganzi flysch basin, eastern Tibetan Plateau: Constraints from detrital zircon U-Pb ages and fission-track ages of the Triassic sedimentary sequence

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 cooling stages during 200–160 Ma, 90–120 Ma, 20–40 Ma and 10 Ma as evidenced by the apatite fission track data and the thermal history modeling. According to the regional background, we conclude that these stages are as follows, from oldest to youngest: the E-W extrusion across the entire Chinese mainland at the beginning of the Yanshanian period (200–160 Ma), the interaction among the North China, Yangtze and India plates during the Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous, the collision between the Indian and Eurasian plates since the Paleogene, and the rapid uplift simultaneous with the formation of the Tibetan Plateau since 10 Ma.

Middle Jurassic–Early Cretaceous tectonic evolution of the Bayanhushuo area, southern Great Xing’an Range, NE China: constraints from zircon U–Pb geochronological and geochemical data of volcanic and subvolcanic rocks

ABSTRACTThis study presents new zircon U–Pb geochronology, geochemistry, and zircon Hf isotopic data of volcanic and subvolcanic rocks that crop out in the Bayanhushuo area of the southern Great Xing’an Range (GXR) of NE China. These data provide insights into the tectonic evolution of this area during the late Mesozoic and constrain the evolution of the Mongol–Okhotsk Ocean. Combining these new ages with previously published data suggests that the late Mesozoic volcanism occurred in two distinct episodes: Early–Middle Jurassic (176–173 Ma) and Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous (151–138 Ma). The Early–Middle Jurassic dacite porphyry belongs to high-K calc-alkaline series, showing the features of I-type igneous rock. This unit has zircon εHf(t) values from +4.06 to +11.62 that yield two-stage model ages (TDM2) from 959 to 481 Ma. The geochemistry of the dacite porphyry is indicative of formation in a volcanic arc tectonic setting, and it is derived from a primary magma generated by the partial melting of juvenile mafic crustal material. The Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous volcanic rocks belong to high-K calc-alkaline or shoshonite series and have A2-type affinities. These volcanics have εHf(t) and TDM2 values from +5.00 to +8.93 and from 879 to 627 Ma, respectively. The geochemistry of these Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous volcanic rocks is indicative of formation in a post-collisional extensional environment, and they formed from primary magmas generated by the partial melting of juvenile mafic lower crust. The discovery of late Mesozoic volcanic and subvolcanic rocks within the southern GXR indicates that this region was in volcanic arc and extensional tectonic settings during the Early–Middle Jurassic and the Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous, respectively. This indicates that the Mongol–Okhotsk oceanic plate was undergoing subduction during the Early–Middle Jurassic, and this ocean adjacent to the GXR may have closed by the Late Middle Jurassic–Early Late Jurassic.

Multistage dolomitization in Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous platform carbonates (Berdiga Formation), Başoba Yayla (Trabzon), NE Turkey: Implications of the generation of magmatic arc on dolomitization

Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous Berdiga Formation, which is widely distributed in an E-W trending belt in the Eastern Pontides (NE Turkey), is composed of platform carbonates. The formation shows varying lithofacies changing from supratidal to platform margin reef both laterally and vertically. The studied Başoba Yayla (Trabzon, NE Turkey) area comprises one of the typical exposures of formation in the northern zone of Eastern Pontides. In this area, the lower parts of the formation are pervasively dolomitized by fabric-destructive and fabric-preserving replacive dolomites that are Ca rich and nonstoichiometric (Ca56-60Mg40-44). Replacement dolomites (Rd) are represented by δ18O values of −15.3 to −4.2 (VPDB), δ13C values of −3.7–1.5‰ (VPDB), and 87Sr/86Sr ratios of 0.70675–0.70731. Petrographic and geochemical evidence implies that Rd dolomites are formed before compaction at shallow-moderate burial depths from Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous seawater and/or partly modified seawater as a consequence of rock/water interaction, and they are recrystallized at elevated temperatures during subsequent burial. During subsequent Late Cretaceous diagenetic process when the region became a magmatic arc, Rd1a and Rd3 dolomite were recrystallized by hydrothermal fluids of marine origin. The dolomite cements (Cd) overlying the low-amplitude stylolites have similar geochemical charasteristics than Rd1a and Rd3 dolomite and are characterized by high homogenization temperatures (Th). This might indicate that Cd dolomite was precipitated from hydrothermal fluids of marine origin that recrystallized the Rd1a and Rd3 dolomite.The fact that Cd dolomite comprising the latest phase of dolomitization is overlain by coarsely crystalline mosaic calcite and silica cements may indicate that diagenetic fluids were undersaturated with respect to dolomite and oversaturated with respect to calcite and silica.

On the earliest occurrence of Tolypella section Tolypella in the fossil record and the age of major clades in extant Characeae

The genus Tolypella is considered the basal-most characean genus according to modern molecular phylogenies. Its fossil record, however, provides contradictory evidence since fossil Tolypella section Tolypella has its first fossil occurrence in the Late Cretaceous, about the same time as the first occurrences of other genera of living characeans, i.e. Chara, Lamprothamnium, Nitellopsis and Lychnothamnus which are considered more derived. In this study, the first occurrence of Tolypella sp. aff. T. grambastii subsp. arctica (Tolypella section Tolypella) is now documented from a lacustrine bed, in the Lower Cretaceous of the Garraf Massif (Catalonia, Spain), ca. 125.0 Ma old. This indicates that Tolypella s.s. is indeed a very old genus and that its first fossil record should be extended back at least 55 million years. The first appearance of living Characeae in the fossil record correlates well with the topology of molecular phylogenies. The basal genera Tolypella, Nitella and the ancestors of the extant Chareae represent the first radiation of the characeans during Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous. The oldest representative of the clade of Tolypella in the fossil record, belonging to Tolypella section Rothia, suggests that the divergence of Tolypella is at least of Kimmeridgian age (157.3–152.1 Ma). The splitting of Nitella and the Chareae is dated as Oxfordian in age (163.5–157.3 Ma). The extant representatives of the crown group (Chara, Lamprothamnium, Nitellopsis and Lychnothamnus) thus represent the remnants of the second radiation of the Characeae during the Upper Cretaceous, at least 83.6–72.1 Ma ago.

A new metriorhynchid crocodylomorph from the Oxford Clay Formation (Middle Jurassic) of England, with implications for the origin and diversification of Geosaurini

Metriorhynchids are an extinct group of Jurassic–Cretaceous crocodylomorphs secondarily adapted to a marine lifestyle. A new metriorhynchid crocodylomorph from the Oxford Clay Formation (Callovian, Middle Jurassic) of England is described. The specimen is a large, fragmentary skull and associated single ramus of a lower jaw uniquely preserved in a septarian concretion. The description of the specimen reveals a series of autapomorphies (apicobasal flutings on the middle labial surface of the tooth crowns, greatly enlarged basoccipital tuberosities) and a unique combination of characters that warrant the creation of a new genus and species: Ieldraan melkshamensis gen. et sp. nov. This taxon shares numerous characters with the Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous genus Geosaurus: tooth crowns that have three apicobasal facets on their labial surface, subtly ornamented skull and lower jaws elements, and reception pits along the lateral margin of the dentary (maxillary overbite). Phylogenetic analysis places this new species as the sister taxon to Geosaurus. The new taxon adds valuable information on the time of origin of the macrophagous subclade Geosaurini, which was initially thought to have evolved and radiated during the Late Jurassic. The presence of Ieldraan melkshamensis, the phylogenetic re-evaluation of Suchodus durobrivensis as a Plesiosuchus sister taxon and recently identified Callovian Dakosaurus-like specimens in the Oxford Clay Formation, indicate that all major Geosaurini lineages originated earlier than previously supposed. This has major implications for the evolution of macropredation in the group. Specifically, we can now demonstrate that the four different forms of true ziphodonty observed in derived geosaurins independently evolved from a single non-functional microziphodont common ancestor.http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:7A400670-A339-463F-8CD4-8704745CB312

New type of kinematic indicator in bed-parallel veins, Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous Vaca Muerta Formation, Argentina: E-W shortening during Late Cretaceous vein opening

In the Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous Vaca Muerta Formation, previously unrecognized yet abundant structures constituting a new category of kinematic indicator occur within bed-parallel fibrous calcite veins (BPVs) in shale. Domal shapes result from localized shortening and thickening of BPVs and the intercalation of centimeter-thick, host-rock shale inclusions within fibrous calcite beef, forming thrust fault-bounded pop-up structures. Ellipsoidal and rounded structures show consistent orientations, lineaments of interlayered shale and fibrous calcite, and local centimeter-scale offset thrust faults that at least in some cases cut across the median line of the BPV and indicate E-W shortening. Continuity of crystal fibers shows the domal structures are contemporaneous with BPV formation and help establish timing of fibrous vein growth in the Late Cretaceous, when shortening directions were oriented E-W. Differences in the number of opening stages and the deformational style of the different BPVs indicate they may have opened at different times. The new domal kinematic indicators described in this study are small enough to be captured in core. When present in the subsurface, domal structures can be used to either infer paleostress orientation during the formation of BPVs or to orient core in cases where the paleostress is independently known.

Geochemistry and geochronology of the Mesozoic Lanong ophiolitic mélange, northern Tibet: Implications for petrogenesis and tectonic evolution

The Lanong ophiolitic mélange is a typical ophiolitic mélange in the middle section of the Bangong–Nujiang suture zone in northern Tibet. It mainly consists of ultramafic and mafic rocks, and its tectonic setting and formation age remain poorly constrained. In this paper, new geochemical and LA–ICP–MS (laser ablation–inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer) zircon U–Pb age data obtained from gabbro, gabbro–dolerite, dolerite and basalt of the Lanong ophiolitic mélange are provided. The pillow basalts exhibit N-MORB (normal mid-ocean ridge basalt)-like geochemical features with a zircon U–Pb age of 147.6±2.3Ma. They were generated by ~20–30% partial melting of a depleted mantle source composed of spinel lherzolite. The gabbro, massive basalt and gabbro–dolerite samples are characterised by more depleted and “V”-shaped REE (rare earth element) patterns, and they exhibit variable degrees of boninite-like geochemical characteristics, with a zircon U–Pb age of 149.1±1.2Ma (gabbro-dolerite). They were derived from the remelting of a significantly refractory mantle source following one or more episodes of previous basaltic melt extraction. Geochemical data of these mafic rocks indicate that they were developed in a continental fore-arc setting, and magmas were derived from depleted mantle sources modified by subducted slab-derived fluids and melts with minor crustal contamination. On the other hand, the dolerites show distinct OIB (oceanic island basalt)-like geochemical features, with a zircon U–Pb age of 244.1±3.0Ma. They were formed in a rift setting on a continental shelf-slope and originated from a low degree of partial melting of a depleted asthenospheric magma source mixed with some ancient sub-continental lithospheric mantle materials. The signatures presented here, combined with the results of previous studies, suggest that the Lanong ophiolitic mélange probably developed in a convergent plate margin under the southward subduction of the Bangong–Nujiang Tethys Ocean beneath the Lhasa terrane during the Middle Triassic–Early Cretaceous. Namely, the OIB-like dolerites likely reflect an extensional rift setting featuring thin continental crust in the Middle Triassic, and the gabbros, gabbro–dolerites and basalts represent a later stage of a fore-arc basin during the Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous.