Sedimentology of the Catalina Dome and taxonomy of Mistaken Point small fronds
Research carried out in the Ediacaran of eastern Newfoundland focused on two projects: sedimentology of the Conception and St. John’s groups exposed on the Bonavista Peninsula; and taxonomic descriptions of the small, stemmed frondose fossils at Mistaken Point on the Avalon Peninsula. Sedimentologic...
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ftcanadathes:oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:OKQ.1974/8453 2023-05-15T17:22:17+02:00 Sedimentology of the Catalina Dome and taxonomy of Mistaken Point small fronds Mason, Sara Queen's University (Kingston, Ont.). Theses (Queen's University (Kingston, Ont.)) 2013-10-30 12:12:23.297 http://hdl.handle.net/1974/8453 en eng Canadian theses http://hdl.handle.net/1974/8453 This publication is made available by the authority of the copyright owner solely for the purpose of private study and research and may not be copied or reproduced except as permitted by the copyright laws without written authority from the copyright owner. Sedimentology Taxonomy Ediacaran Mistaken Point turbidites Avalonia Thesis 2013 ftcanadathes 2013-12-22T00:49:26Z Research carried out in the Ediacaran of eastern Newfoundland focused on two projects: sedimentology of the Conception and St. John’s groups exposed on the Bonavista Peninsula; and taxonomic descriptions of the small, stemmed frondose fossils at Mistaken Point on the Avalon Peninsula. Sedimentological study of the upper Conception and lower St. John's groups at Catalina Dome on Bonavista Peninsula extends our understanding of the Conception Basin, in which the oldest known complex, deep marine organisms lived, by a factor of two. Mudstone-rich turbidites dominate the succession, and a lack of wave-generated structures or other shallow-water indicators support the interpretation that the depositional environment was deep-marine. The basal part of the succession contains seismoturbidites that show no evidence of horizontal translation, implying that deposition occurred on a flat basin plain. Strata higher in the succession exhibit horizontally slumped beds, implying a transition into slope deposition. Turbidite ripple marks show a change in paleocurrent direction from eastward to southward in the Trepassey Formation, consistent with a change from convergent to strike-slip tectonics that occurred diachronously across the basin. Volcanic ash beds are more common in the Catalina Dome succession than on the Avalon Peninsula, reflecting deposition closer to the volcanic source. These volcanic beds are associated with diverse fossil assemblages rich in rangeomorphs that locally persist into the Fermeuse Formation, in contrast with the Avalon Peninsula where the Fermeuse Formation contains only simple discoid fossils. This taphonomic window lends support to the hypothesis that the form genus Aspidella represents the holdfasts of Ediacaran fronds. Stemmed small frond fossils from Mistaken Point, Avalon Peninsula, have often been informally referred to as “featherdusters”, but due to their small size and consequent poor preservation, they have not until now been formally described. The small, stemmed fronds are more diverse than previously realized, and include representatives of taxa described from elsewhere in Newfoundland, juveniles of other Mistaken Point fronds, and two new monospecific genera. This biodiversity suggests that the basal elevated tier that the small fronds occupied was competitive, with convergent evolution of frondose taxa showing distinct architecture and constructions, but broadly similar size and shape. Thesis (Master, Geological Sciences & Geological Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2013-10-30 12:12:23.297 Thesis Newfoundland Theses Canada/Thèses Canada (Library and Archives Canada) Catalina ENVELOPE(-59.633,-59.633,-62.333,-62.333) Mistaken Point ENVELOPE(-55.774,-55.774,53.478,53.478) Trepassey ENVELOPE(-56.966,-56.966,-63.466,-63.466) |
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Open Polar |
collection |
Theses Canada/Thèses Canada (Library and Archives Canada) |
op_collection_id |
ftcanadathes |
language |
English |
topic |
Sedimentology Taxonomy Ediacaran Mistaken Point turbidites Avalonia |
spellingShingle |
Sedimentology Taxonomy Ediacaran Mistaken Point turbidites Avalonia Mason, Sara Sedimentology of the Catalina Dome and taxonomy of Mistaken Point small fronds |
topic_facet |
Sedimentology Taxonomy Ediacaran Mistaken Point turbidites Avalonia |
description |
Research carried out in the Ediacaran of eastern Newfoundland focused on two projects: sedimentology of the Conception and St. John’s groups exposed on the Bonavista Peninsula; and taxonomic descriptions of the small, stemmed frondose fossils at Mistaken Point on the Avalon Peninsula. Sedimentological study of the upper Conception and lower St. John's groups at Catalina Dome on Bonavista Peninsula extends our understanding of the Conception Basin, in which the oldest known complex, deep marine organisms lived, by a factor of two. Mudstone-rich turbidites dominate the succession, and a lack of wave-generated structures or other shallow-water indicators support the interpretation that the depositional environment was deep-marine. The basal part of the succession contains seismoturbidites that show no evidence of horizontal translation, implying that deposition occurred on a flat basin plain. Strata higher in the succession exhibit horizontally slumped beds, implying a transition into slope deposition. Turbidite ripple marks show a change in paleocurrent direction from eastward to southward in the Trepassey Formation, consistent with a change from convergent to strike-slip tectonics that occurred diachronously across the basin. Volcanic ash beds are more common in the Catalina Dome succession than on the Avalon Peninsula, reflecting deposition closer to the volcanic source. These volcanic beds are associated with diverse fossil assemblages rich in rangeomorphs that locally persist into the Fermeuse Formation, in contrast with the Avalon Peninsula where the Fermeuse Formation contains only simple discoid fossils. This taphonomic window lends support to the hypothesis that the form genus Aspidella represents the holdfasts of Ediacaran fronds. Stemmed small frond fossils from Mistaken Point, Avalon Peninsula, have often been informally referred to as “featherdusters”, but due to their small size and consequent poor preservation, they have not until now been formally described. The small, stemmed fronds are more diverse than previously realized, and include representatives of taxa described from elsewhere in Newfoundland, juveniles of other Mistaken Point fronds, and two new monospecific genera. This biodiversity suggests that the basal elevated tier that the small fronds occupied was competitive, with convergent evolution of frondose taxa showing distinct architecture and constructions, but broadly similar size and shape. Thesis (Master, Geological Sciences & Geological Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2013-10-30 12:12:23.297 |
author2 |
Queen's University (Kingston, Ont.). Theses (Queen's University (Kingston, Ont.)) |
format |
Thesis |
author |
Mason, Sara |
author_facet |
Mason, Sara |
author_sort |
Mason, Sara |
title |
Sedimentology of the Catalina Dome and taxonomy of Mistaken Point small fronds |
title_short |
Sedimentology of the Catalina Dome and taxonomy of Mistaken Point small fronds |
title_full |
Sedimentology of the Catalina Dome and taxonomy of Mistaken Point small fronds |
title_fullStr |
Sedimentology of the Catalina Dome and taxonomy of Mistaken Point small fronds |
title_full_unstemmed |
Sedimentology of the Catalina Dome and taxonomy of Mistaken Point small fronds |
title_sort |
sedimentology of the catalina dome and taxonomy of mistaken point small fronds |
publishDate |
2013 |
url |
http://hdl.handle.net/1974/8453 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-59.633,-59.633,-62.333,-62.333) ENVELOPE(-55.774,-55.774,53.478,53.478) ENVELOPE(-56.966,-56.966,-63.466,-63.466) |
geographic |
Catalina Mistaken Point Trepassey |
geographic_facet |
Catalina Mistaken Point Trepassey |
genre |
Newfoundland |
genre_facet |
Newfoundland |
op_relation |
Canadian theses http://hdl.handle.net/1974/8453 |
op_rights |
This publication is made available by the authority of the copyright owner solely for the purpose of private study and research and may not be copied or reproduced except as permitted by the copyright laws without written authority from the copyright owner. |
_version_ |
1766108828380692480 |