A study of a poorly understood limestone unit was conducted to contribute temporal information necessary to unraveling a series of cryptic events for a complex geologic region containing economically important natural resources. Secondary objectives included understanding the environment of deposition and regional influences. Biostratigraphic and sedimentologic information observed from the Uitoé Limestone went to reconstructing the paleoenvironment, constraining the age of deposition and indicating the paleogeographic faunal associations. Facies associations indicate a middle ramp depositional setting common in many location in the Tethys Sea. Paleogeographic associations for the microflora and fauna indicate a Tethyan signature present but a lack of Australian influence. A combination of planktic and benthic foraminiferal assemblages for the region constrain the age of the Uitoé Limestone between the middle of the Lutetian and the Early Bartonian. / Department of Geological Sciences

The Eocene Cocoa Sand Member of Yazoo Formation is fine grained, moderately to well sorted, poorly cemented, quartz arenite. Surface exposures are poor, but it has been mapped from west Choctaw County, Alabama to eastern Jasper County, Mississippi. In the subsurface, the Cocoa Sand Member is identified by obvious protrusion both in Spontaneous and Resistivity Logs. Northeast to southwest cross-sections (perpendicular to the paleo-shoreline) and northwest to southeast cross-sections (parallel to the paleo-shoreline) were developed, along with isopach maps, to determine the sequence stratigraphic setting and a depositional model of the Cocoa Sand Member. Previous work has interpreted the Cocoa Sand Member as a shelf margin sand deposited as part of a lowstand systems tract or as a transgressive sand. Grain size analysis indicates that the sand coarsens upward and there is evidence in core that the upper contact of the Cocoa sand with the Pachuta Marl is sharp, representing an upper erosion surface. The presence of rip-up clasts at the base of the Cocoa sand member supports the presence of a transgressive surface at the contact with the North Twistwood Creek. Based on the sand thickness distribution as identified in the Cocoa Sand isopach map and cross sections, two sand ridges have been recognized extending nearly parallel to the paleoshoreline across the Mississippi and Alabama. A three stage model is presented suggesting the formation of these ridges during transgression with the source of the sand being from the eroded and reworked underlying North Twistwood Creek Member. / Department of Geological Sciences

Durante o Eoceno e o Oligoceno (55 a 23 Ma) a Terra esteve sujeita a período de grandes mudanças climáticas. Registros geológicos, reforçados por modelos climáticos, indicam que o clima global durante esse período passou de estágio praticamente livre de calotas polares para situacao climática próxima a que hoje podemos encontrar na Antártica. Grande parte desses registros são indiretos, retirados de sedimentos de fundo marinho ou de material fóssil. Evidência terrestre clara da variação climática (greenhouse-icehouse) para o Eoceno-Oligoceno pode ser encontrada em Wesele Cove, ilha Rei Jorge, Antártica Ocidental. Tais evidências correspondem a uma sucessão de cerca de 60m com pelo menos 13 derrames de lava basáltica, de alguns metros de espessura cada, sobreposta, em contato erosivo, por diamictito e arenito. A sucessão basáltica é correlacionada com a Formação Mazurek Point/Hennequin, datada radiometricamente como do Eoceno, e o diamictito e arenito correspondem ao Membro Krakowiak Glacier da Formação Polonez Cove, datada, paleontológica e radiométricamente como pertencente ao Oligoceno inferior. Cada camada de basalto toleítico exibe uma zona inferior, mais espessa (1 a poucos metros), de rocha fresca, que é seguida transicionalmente por uma zona de alteração, variando de alguns decímetros a 1-1,5 m de espessura. O pacote de basalto está inclinado 25º para leste, provavelmente por tectonismo. A sucessão foi recentemente exposta devido ao rápido recuo da atual geleira Wyspianski. A evidência inicial de campo sugere que a sucessão representa um registro geológico de variação paleoclimática de condições mais amenas para condições glaciais, que pode ser correlacionada com a mudança do ótimo climático do final do Eoceno (greenhouse) para as condições de icehouse do Oligoceno, registradas na curva de paleotemperatura cenozóica estabelecida pela determinação de 18O em carapaças de foraminíferos. Este estudo teve como foco central a análise estratigráfica e geoquímica da ocorrência, a fim de interpretar a sucessão de eventos paleoclimáticos documentados no afloramento e analisá-los, no contexto da história paleoclimática da Antártica. Os dados obtidos mostraram que a transição de zonas não alteradas para alteradas observada em cada derrame de basalto pode de fato ser atribuídas à ação moderada de processos intempéricos no topo de cada derrame. Eles também demonstram uma origem glacial, em parte subglacial com contribuição marinha, dos diamictitos sobrepostos, que apresentam feições, tais como, clastos de litologias e tamanhos variados, facetados e estriados, clastos tipo bullet shaped, clastos partidos por congelamento, estrias intraformacionais e fósseis marinhos encontrados na matriz do diamictito. As condições climáticas amenas responsáveis pelo intemperismo do basalto durou até o surgimento do último horizonte de lava, seguida por movimentação tectônica que inclinou o pacote. Esses eventos indicam condições paleoclimáticas menos rigorosas relativamente longas durante o Eoceno, precedendo o estabelecimento do manto de gelo oligocênico nesta parte da Antártica. / During the Eocene and Oligocene (55 23 Ma) the Earth was undergoing a period of great climatic changes. Geological records, reinforced by climate models indicate that global climate during this period went from a stage in which the Earth was virtually free of polar ice caps to a stage close to what we find today in Antarctica. Most of these records are indirect, taken from the deep-sea cores or fossil material. Clear terrestrial evidence of climate change (greenhouse-icehouse) for the Eocene-Oligocene transition is found in Wesele Cove, King George Island, West Antarctica. This evidence includes a succession of at least thirteen, few meters thick, basaltic lava flows overlain disconformably by diamictite and sandstone. The basaltic section is correlated with the Mazurek Point/Hennequin Formation, radiometric dated as Eocene, and the diamictite and sandstone correspond to the Krakowiak Glacier Member of the Polonez Cove Formation, dated as Early Oligocene, on paleontological and radiometric basis. Each tholeiitic basalt layer exhibits a lower, thicker (1 to few meters) fresh zone, transitionally followed up by a zone of saprolith, varying from decimeters to 1-1.5 m in thickness. The entire basalt package of around 60 m, is tilted 25º to the east. The succession has been recently exposed due to fast retreat of the present Wyspianski Glacier. The initial field evidence suggests that the succession represents the geological record of paleoclimatic variation from mild to glacial conditions, that could correlate with the change from the late Eocene optimum climatic (greenhouse) to icehouse conditions in the Oligocene, as recorded on the Cenozoic paleotemperature curve established by 18O determinations on calcareous foram tests. This study had focus on the stratigraphy and geochemistry analysis of the occurrence, in order to interpret the succession of palaeoclimatic events documented in outcrop and analyze them in the context of paleoclimatic history of Antarctica. Data obtained consistently showed that the supposed transition from unaltered to altered zones observed in each basalt layer may in fact be assigned to the moderated action of weathering processes on top of each flow. They also demonstrate a glacial, in partly subglacial with marine contribution, origin for the overlying diamictites, which has features such clasts of diverse lithologies and sizes, faceted and striated clasts, bullet shaped clasts, clasts broken by freezing and thaw, intraformational striae and marine fossils found in the matrix of the diamictite. The mild paleoclimatic conditions responsible for weathering of the basalt lasted until the emplacement of the highest lava horizon, followed by tectonic movement that tilted the package. These events indicate a relatively long paleoclimatic mild conditions during the Eocene, preceding the establishment and displacement of the Oligocene ice-sheet in this part of Antarctica.

This study investigates the use of larger foraminifera in determining the biostratigraphy of the Avon Park Formation and the Ocala Limestone in central Florida. Sedimentary rocks of the Avon Park Formation are the oldest exposed deposits in the state of Florida, and together with the Ocala Limestone comprise a part of the confining unit of the Floridan Aquifer, a major source of Florida’s water supply. Material from the ROMP 29A core collected by the U. S. Geological Survey was evaluated and compared to previous studies of the biostratigraphy of the formations. The larger foraminifera of the Avon Park Formation were examined in thin section, and those of the Ocala Limestone were free specimens. The larger foraminifera from both units were described and identified, and the biostratigraphy determined. The morphological features of the larger foraminifera of the Ocala Limestone were measured and analyzed at various depths within the ROMP 29A core. The Avon Park Formation contains predominantly the shallow-water, conical foraminifera Fallotella cookei, Fallotella floridana, Pseudochrysalidina floridana, Coleiconus christianaensis, Coleiconus sp. A, Coskinolina sp. A, Coskinolina sp. B, Fallotella sp. A, Fallotella sp. B, Fabularia vaughani and larger miliolids. The Ocala Limestone contains a different, deeper water assemblage that included the larger foraminifera Heterostegina ocalana, Lepidocyclina ocalana varieties, Lepidocyclina chaperi, Lepidocyclina pustulosa, Nummulites willcoxi, Nummulites striatoreticulatus, Nummulites floridensis and Pseudophragmina spp. A, B, and C. The age of the Avon Park Formation was corroborated by the occurrence of the biomarker echinoid Neolaganum dalli as Eocene, and the Ocala Limestone also contained Eocene larger foraminifera with Eocene to possibly Oligocene calcareous nannofossils. The distribution of the larger foraminifera of the Avon Park Formation was correlated with the subtidal and peritidal zones of the continental shelf. Analyses of variance showed that the changes in measurements of the morphology in Heterostegina ocalana, Lepidocyclina spp. and Nummulites spp. were correlated with change in the depositional environments.

No description available.

The tudlov amber has been the only known fossil resin from the Czech Republic, in which the biological inclusions are preserved, and at the same time the only Czech fossil resin occurring not in the area of the Bohemian Massif, but in outer arch of the Outer Western Carpathians. So far, only single findings of fossil Hymenoptera and Diptera have been published. In contrast to mostly Cretaceous ambers of the Bohemian Massif, the age of tudlov amber is usually estimated from the late Paleocene to mid Eocene. This diploma thesis provides an overview of the fossil organisms found in the tudlov amber in the past two decades and it is also the most comprehensive text dedicated to the palaeodiversity of embedded organisms from this remarkable fossil resin. The presence of various microscopic fungi is proven, as well as the presence of angiosperm trichomes, mites and insects (prevailed by Hymenoptera and Diptera). The discovery of a hymenopteran family Stigmaphronidae (Apocrita) is the first Cenozoic evidence of this family, formerly considered as extinct by the end of Cretaceous. Finding of an isolated gymnosperm twig with wood anatomical characters close to genus Glyptostrobus allows to outline some conclusions about the paleoecosystem. The Eocene age of the resin is confirmed by the combination of...

Continental Paleogene climates have been well studied in Europe and North America, but very little is known from Asia because paleoclimatic results have only been reported from particular geological intervals. Here, based on 29 plant assemblages from 8 well age-controlled fossiliferous sites, we quantitatively reconstruct the climates through most of the Paleogene of northeast China and discuss related seasonal variations. Our results demonstrate that the mean annual temperature (MAT) gradient was fairly shallow (0.27 °C/1° latitude) during the Paleocene throughout this region. In the Eocene, seasonality was high in the region, indicated by marked differences in both temperature and precipitation between winters and summers of the sites. The paleo-East Asian monsoon must have had intensified at least in the late mid Eocene, shown by apparent differences in annual precipitation distribution at all the sites. Regarding the Paleogene climatic evolution of northeast China, our quantitative results suggest that MAT overall declined from warm in the Paleocene and Eocene to moderate in the Oligocene, generally consistent with the trend of marine records but with some distinctions. Two significant cooling events are recognized in the early and mid Eocene with MAT 3.4 °C and 3.8 °C lower, and winter temperature 5.8 °C and 4.7 °C lower, respectively, in similar magnitudes to corresponding variations in Europe and North America. Furthermore, the present results show that MAT rebounded in the late mid Eocene and then decreased until the Oligocene, a similar pattern demonstrated in Europe during the mid Eocene to Oligocene interval.

Deformation of the Eastern Cordillera, as a double-verging thrust belt that separates the Magdalena Valley from the Llanos Basin, is a defining moment in the history of the northern Andes in South America. Here we examine the age and depositional setting of the youngest stratigraphic unit in three sectors of the Eastern Cordillera: (i) the Santa Teresa Formation (western flank), (ii) the Usme Formation (southern central axis), and (iii) the Concentración Formation (northeastern central axis). These units were deposited prior to the main Neogene deformation events. They represent the last preserved record of lowland conditions in the Eastern Cordillera, and they are coeval with a thick syn-orogenic deposition reported in the Llanos Basin and Magdalena Valley. Based on palynological data, we conclude that the upper Usme Formation was deposited during the Bartonian-earliest Rupelian? (Late Eocene-earliest Oligocene?); the Concentración Formation was deposited during the Late Lutetian-Early Rupelian (Middle Eocene to Early Oligocene), and the upper Santa Teresa Formation was accumulated during the Burdigalian (Early Miocene). These ages, together with considerations on maximum post-depositional burial, provide important time differences for the age of initial uplift and exhumation along the axial zone and western foothills of the Eastern Cordillera. The switch from sediment accumulation to erosion in the southern axial zone of the Eastern Cordillera occurred during the Rupelian-Early Chattian (Oligocene, ca 30 to ca 26 Ma), and in the northeastern axial zone occurred prior to the latest Chattian-Aquitanian (latest Oligocene-Early Miocene ca 23 Ma). In contrast, in the western flank, the switch occurred during the Tortonian (Late Miocene, ca 10 Ma). In addition, we detected a marine transgression affecting the Usme and Concentración formations during the Late Eocene; coeval marine transgression has been also documented in the Central Llanos Foothills and Llanos Basin, as evidenced by the similarity in floras, but not in the western foothills. Our dataset supports previous sedimentological, geochemical and thermochronological works, which indicated that (i) deformation in the Eastern Cordillera was a diachronous process, (ii) the sedimentation along the axial zone stopped first in the south and then in the north during the Oligocene, (iii) depositional systems of the axial zone and central Llanos Foothills kept partly connected at least until the Late Eocene, and (iv) Miocene strata were only recorded in adjacent foothills as well as the Magdalena and Llanos basins.

Through the Cenozoic, paleoclimate records show general trends of global cooling and increased aridity, and environments in North America shifted from predominantly forests to more open habitats. Paleobotanical records indicate grasses were present on the continent in the Eocene; however, paleosol and phytolith studies indicate that open habitats did not arise until the late Eocene or even later in the Oligocene. Studies of large mammalian herbivores have documented changes in ecomorphology and community structure through time, revealing that shifts in mammalian morphology occurred millions of years after the environmental changes thought to have triggered them. Smaller mammals, like rodents and lagomorphs, should more closely track climate and habitat changes due to their shorter generation times and smaller ranges, but these animals have received much less study. To examine changes in smaller mammals through time, we have assembled and analyzed an ecomorphological database of all North American rodent and lagomorph species. Analyses of these data found that rodent and lagomorph community structure changed dramatically through the Cenozoic, and shifts in diversity and ecology correspond closely with the timing of habitat changes. Cenozoic rodent and lagomorph species diversity is strongly biased by sampling of localities, but sampling-corrected diversity reveals diversity dynamics that, after an initial density-dependent diversification in the Eocene, track habitat changes and the appearance of new ecological adaptations. As habitats became more open and arid through time, rodent and lagomorph crown heights increased while burrowing, jumping, and cursorial adaptations became more prevalent. Through time, open-habitat specialists were added during periods of diversification, while closed-habitat taxa were disproportionately lost in subsequent diversity declines. While shifts among rodents and lagomorphs parallel changes in ungulate communities, they started millions of years earlier than in larger mammals. This is likely a consequence of the smaller mammal' greater sensitivity to environmental changes and more rapid evolution. These results highlight the importance of examining understudied members of vertebrate faunas for understanding the evolution of terrestrial communities through time.

The Grasshopper basin of southwest Montana is a complex east-dipping graben containing five unconformity-bounded sequences of Tertiary sedimentary rocks. The Eocene-Oligocene basin lies within the northern Rocky Mountain Basin and Range province. Geologic mapping in five and a half 7.5 minute quadrangles indicates that at least three distinct phases of extension characterize the Cenozoic tectonic evolution of Grasshopper basin from approximately 46 Ma toMa. The significant phases of extension in Grasshopper basin were phases 1 and 3. During the first phase of extension (46-27 Ma) the nonplanar Muddy-Grasshopper fault was initiated and 90% of the basin fill was deposited. At least 7 km of dip-slip displacement along this fault controlled the deposition of the Medicine Lodge beds (3.5 km thick) and development of a transverse fold train and a longitudinal anticline. The second phase of extension (late Eocene-early Oligocene) resulted in northwest-southeast trending extensional structures and was probably coincident with deformation along the Lemhi Pass fault (20 km to the southwest). The third phase of deformation (early Oligocene-middle Miocene) dismembered the once larger protobasin into smaller subbasins and tilted the northwest-dipping limb of the longitudinal anticline. The structures formed during this phase have north-south and northeast trends. Little sediment was deposited during phases 2 and 3. Overall >85% E-W extension accrued. Extensional folds are common in Grasshopper basin and formed during all three phases of extension. One orthogonal fold set was recorded. Two-dimensional kinematic analysis of the longitudinal Bachelor Mountain anticline shows that this fold is a double-­rollover that probably developed above a longitudinal ramp in the Muddy-Grasshopper fault. The transverse folds are the result of the changing strike of the downward­-flattening Muddy-Grasshopper fault. A transverse syncline developed above a convex up part of the fault whereas a transverse anticline formed above a concave up part of the fault that reflects changes in the strike of the fault. Three-dimensional inclined shear probably created this geometry.