Paleocene aged beds of the Ravenscrag Formation exposed in the Big Muddy Valley of Southern Saskatchewan produce numerous plant fossils. Studies into these fossils last occurred in the 1930s. Studies into the contemporaneous Ravenscrag Butte flora of southwestern Saskatchewan have shown that the flora of these beds needed updating. Collections of specimens and stratigraphic sections were taken from the area.<p> Forty species, including two new species and seven unknowns were identified. <i>Elatocladus megasequoiae</i> n.sp. and <i>Corvirupestrobus adrielensis</i> n.sp. are both Conifers, and <i>Corvirupestrobus</i> is also a new genus. Many species were previously unknown in Ravenscrag Formation floras, including cf.<i>Lygodium</i> sp., <i>Thelypteris</i> sp., <i>Sparganium</i> sp.,<i> Paloreodoxites plicata </i> (Lesquereux) Knowlton, <i>Carya antiquorum</i> Newberry and <i>Nordenskioldia borealis</i> Heer. Two new combinations are proposed, transferring <i>Quercus praegroenlandica</i> Berry to <i>Fagopsiphyllum praegroenlandicum</i> (Berry) n. comb. and <i>Harmsia hydrocotoloidea</i> McIver and Basinger to <i>Harmsvernia hydrocotoloidea</i> (McIver and Basinger) n. comb., with <i>Harmsvernia</i> a new genus.<p> Three sub-floras are recognized for this flora. Sub-flora 1 is a conifer dominated swamp sub-flora, common to many Paleocene localities. Sub-flora 2 is a conifer dominated sub-flora suspected of being from a drier environment than florule 1. Elements of sub-flora 1 appear in sub-flora 2 and vice versa, but relative abundances differ. There is little taxonomic overlap between sub-floras 1 and 2 with sub-flora 3. Sub-flora 3 is more typical of contemporaneous localities to the south such as those of the Bear Den Member of the Golden Valley Formation (Hickey 1977), whereas sub-floras 1 and 2 are more typical of northern localities, like the Genesee locality (Chandrasekharam 1974) and Koryak Formation (Golovneva 1994). The Big Muddy Valley occurs at the ecotone between the Arctic floras and the floras of the South.<p> The taxonomy of Glyptostrobus from the Paleocene is revised as an appendix, written as a separate report. This revision is more extensive than for the other taxa of this study, utilizing materials from numerous other localities, including the Joffre Bridge Roadcut localities (Hoffman and Stockey 1999), the Smokey Tower localities (Christophel 1976) and the Buchanan Lake Formation (Basinger 1991).

Paleocene aged beds of the Ravenscrag Formation exposed in the Big Muddy Valley of Southern Saskatchewan produce numerous plant fossils. Studies into these fossils last occurred in the 1930s. Studies into the contemporaneous Ravenscrag Butte flora of southwestern Saskatchewan have shown that the flora of these beds needed updating. Collections of specimens and stratigraphic sections were taken from the area.<p> Forty species, including two new species and seven unknowns were identified. <i>Elatocladus megasequoiae</i> n.sp. and <i>Corvirupestrobus adrielensis</i> n.sp. are both Conifers, and <i>Corvirupestrobus</i> is also a new genus. Many species were previously unknown in Ravenscrag Formation floras, including cf.<i>Lygodium</i> sp., <i>Thelypteris</i> sp., <i>Sparganium</i> sp.,<i> Paloreodoxites plicata </i> (Lesquereux) Knowlton, <i>Carya antiquorum</i> Newberry and <i>Nordenskioldia borealis</i> Heer. Two new combinations are proposed, transferring <i>Quercus praegroenlandica</i> Berry to <i>Fagopsiphyllum praegroenlandicum</i> (Berry) n. comb. and <i>Harmsia hydrocotoloidea</i> McIver and Basinger to <i>Harmsvernia hydrocotoloidea</i> (McIver and Basinger) n. comb., with <i>Harmsvernia</i> a new genus.<p> Three sub-floras are recognized for this flora. Sub-flora 1 is a conifer dominated swamp sub-flora, common to many Paleocene localities. Sub-flora 2 is a conifer dominated sub-flora suspected of being from a drier environment than florule 1. Elements of sub-flora 1 appear in sub-flora 2 and vice versa, but relative abundances differ. There is little taxonomic overlap between sub-floras 1 and 2 with sub-flora 3. Sub-flora 3 is more typical of contemporaneous localities to the south such as those of the Bear Den Member of the Golden Valley Formation (Hickey 1977), whereas sub-floras 1 and 2 are more typical of northern localities, like the Genesee locality (Chandrasekharam 1974) and Koryak Formation (Golovneva 1994). The Big Muddy Valley occurs at the ecotone between the Arctic floras and the floras of the South.<p> The taxonomy of Glyptostrobus from the Paleocene is revised as an appendix, written as a separate report. This revision is more extensive than for the other taxa of this study, utilizing materials from numerous other localities, including the Joffre Bridge Roadcut localities (Hoffman and Stockey 1999), the Smokey Tower localities (Christophel 1976) and the Buchanan Lake Formation (Basinger 1991).

The Gray Fossil Site (GFS) includes multiple karst sub-basins that are filled with lacustrine sediments. Early paleontologic work on one of the sub-basins (GFS-2) indicates a late Miocene/early Pliocene age based on an assemblage of well-preserved vertebrate fossils. However, detailed palynological analysis of the 38.7. m deep GFS-1 core recovered from another sub-basin indicates an older age. The presence of Caryapollenites imparalis, C. inelegans and C. prodromus association suggests a Paleocene to Eocene age for the GFS-1 core section. This age is also supported by the absence of pollen of the Poaceae, the grass family that is not commonly present until the Neogene. Age constraints from palynologic data suggest that the GFS has a more complex basin-fill history than previously suspected, and that multiple depo-centers within the basin may have been periodically active through the Cenozoic. Palynofacies analysis of the GFS-1 core indicates that phytoclasts and opaques are the most abundant organic constituents and have diluted both the palynomorph population and amorphous organic matter. Two possible scenarios can account for this observation: 1) an oxidizing depositional paleoenvironment; and 2) a localized high flux of charcoal following wildfires and subsequent increased runoff.

Marine sedimentary sections across the Paleocene/Eocene (P/E) boundary interval are preserved in the Patala Formation (Upper Indus Basin) and Dungan Formation (Lower Indus Basin), Pakistan. The P/E interval of the Patala Formation is composed of limestone and shale inter-beds indicating deposition on a carbonate platform. The analysis of larger foraminifera across the P/E interval from the Patala Formation (Kala Chitta Ranges), allows the recognition of the Larger Foraminiferal Turnover (LFT). The Larger Foraminiferal Turnover (LFT) observed in the Patala Formation is associated with the PETM (Paleocene Eocene Thermal Maximum) global climatic event and allows the recognition of the P/E boundary in shallow water carbonates of the Indus Basin. This turnover is already reported from other Tethyan sections and from the Salt Range (Upper Indus Basin), Pakistan. The recognition of the LFT allows the inter-basinal and intra-basinal correlation of the P/E interval of the shallow carbonates of the Indus Basin, Pakistan. The available literature on the Paleocene-Eocene Patala and Dungan formations is used to review the planktonic foraminiferal biostratigraphy of the P/E interval. The planktonic foraminiferal zones in the P/E interval of the Indus Basin are identified and reviewed in the light of new international zonations. The planktonic foraminiferal content of the Dungan Formation allows its correlation with the Laki Formation of Rajesthan (India). Four dinoflagellate zones in the P/E interval of the Rakhi Nala section (Lower Indus Basin) are identified and correlated with international and regional zonations. The quantitative analysis of the dinoflagellate cyst assemblages together with geochemical data (i.e., carbon isotopes (organic only), C/N ratio, TOC, carbonate content) is used to reconstruct the palaeoenivronment across the P/E interval. The dinocyst assemblages in general, and the abundance of Apectodinium spp. in particular, indicate the warmer surface water conditions of the global PETM event. The dinocyst assemblages allow the local correlation of the Dungan Formation (part) of the Sulaiman Range with the Patala Formation (part) of the Upper Indus Basin and global correlation of the Zone Pak-DV with the Apectodinium acme Zone of the Northern and Southern hemispheres. The carbon isotopic excursion (CIE) associated with PETM is now globally used to identify the P/E boundary. The CIE in total organic carbon (i.e., δ13CTOC = -28.9‰) and total fine fraction organics (i.e., δ13CFF= 26.4‰) from the Indus Basin is reported for the first time. This CIE record from the Indus Basin is compared with other Tethyan sections from Egypt and Uzbekistan and is also compared with the global sections from USA (Northern hemisphere) and from New Zealand (Southern hemisphere).

As fácies calcárias da Bacia de Itaboraí, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, são muito famosas por sua abundante fauna de mamíferos. Entretanto, Itaboraí também abriga uma rica fauna de gastrópodes pulmonados do Paleoceno Médio, tanto terrestres quanto dulciaquícolas. Contudo, os estudos lidando com essa malacofauna abrangem apenas as descrições originais das espécies. Nenhuma revisão taxonômica de maior escopo foi realizada nesses pouco mais de 80 anos desde a descoberta da bacia, embora seja possível identificar diversos problemas com a taxonomia desses fósseis. Desse modo, neste estudo realiza-se uma extensiva revisão taxonômica dessa fauna, descrevendo-se inclusive quatro novas espécies. Após a revisão, a nomenclatura e classificação dos pulmonados fósseis de Itaboraí encontram-se da seguinte maneira: Austrodiscus lopesi (Charopidae); Biomphalaria itaboraiensis e ? Vorticifex fluminensis (Planorbidae); Brachypodella britoi (Urocoptidae); Brasilennea arethusae, Brasilennea minor e Brasilennea sp. nov. (Cerionidae); Bulimulus fazendicus, Bulimulus sommeri, Bulimulus trindadeae, Cyclodontina coelhoi, Itaborahia lamegoi, Leiostracus ferreirai e Orthalicidae gen. nov. carvalhoi (Orthalicidae); Cecilioides sommeri (Ferussaciidae); Eoborus sanctijosephi, Eoborus sp. nov. 1, Eoborus sp. nov. 2 (Strophocheilidae); Gastrocopta mezzalirai, Gastrocopta sp. nov. (Vertiginidae); Temesa magalhaesi (Clausiliidae). A espécie Strobilopsis mauryae foi considerada sinônimo de Brasilennea arethusae. Além disso, relata-se pela primeira vez a ocorrência de ? Cyclodontina cf. (Plagiodontes) dentata para Itaboraí. A bacia conta com os registros fósseis mais antigos das famílias Ferussaciidae e Strophocheilidae. Além disso, os registros de Itaboraí das famílias Charopidae, Clausiliidae, Cerionidae, Orthalicidae, Urocoptidae e Vertiginidae estão entre os mais antigos do mundo. Dentre esses, os registros de Cerionidae, Clausiliidae e Urocoptidae merecem destaque por estarem bem afastados das distribuições atuais das famílias. Ademais, os registros de Itaboraí são os mais antigos para os gêneros Austrodiscus, Brachypodella, Cecilioides, Cyclodontina, Eoborus, Gastrocopta, Leiostracus e Temesa (além, é claro, dos três gêneros endêmicos da bacia, Brasilennea, Itaborahia e Orthalicidae gen. nov.). É surpreendente que um registro tão diverso quanto o de Itaboraí seja pouco explorado, uma vez que ele possui um grande potencial para ajudar a responder diversas questões sobre biogeografia e sistemática / The limestones of Itaboraí Basin, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, are famous for their mammalian fauna. Nevertheless, Itaboraí also harbors a rich fossil molluscan fauna dating from the Middle Paleocene, consisting exclusively of pulmonate snails, both terrestrial and fresh-water. However, the current taxonomy of this fauna comprises only the original descriptions - there is not even a single more thoroughly revision done in the 80 years since the discovery of the basin. Unsurprisingly, many taxonomic problems could be readily identified. Therefore, an extensive taxonomic revision was conducted here, also describing four new species. After such revision work, the nomenclature and classification of Itaboraí\'s fossil pulmonates is as follows: Austrodiscus lopesi (Charopidae); Biomphalaria itaboraiensis e ? Vorticifex fluminensis (Planorbidae); Brachypodella britoi (Urocoptidae); Brasilennea arethusae, Brasilennea minor e Brasilennea sp. nov. (Cerionidae); Bulimulus fazendicus, Bulimulus sommeri, Bulimulus trindadeae, Cyclodontina coelhoi, Cyclodontina cf. (Plagiodontes) dentata, Itaborahia lamegoi, Leiostracus ferreirai e Orthalicidae gen. nov. carvalhoi (Orthalicidae); Cecilioides sommeri (Ferussaciidae); Eoborus sanctijosephi, Eoborus sp. nov. 1, Eoborus sp. nov. 2 (Strophocheilidae); Gastrocopta mezzalirai, Gastrocopta sp. nov. (Vertiginidae); Temesa magalhaesi (Clausiliidae). The species Strobilopsis mauryae was considered a synonym of Brasilennea arethusae. Also, the record of ? Cyclodontina cf. (Plagiodontes) dentata for the basin is presented here for the first time. Itaboraí Basin has the most ancient records of the families Ferussaciidae and Strophocheilidae. Moreover, the basin\'s records of the families Charopidae, Clausiliidae, Cerionidae, Orthalicidae, Urocoptidae and Vertiginidae are among the most ancient in the world. Among these, the records of Cerionidae, Clausiliidae and Urocoptidae deserve special attention for they are greatly removed from these families\' current distribution. Additionally, Itaboraí has the most ancient records for the genera Austrodiscus, Brachypodella, Cecilioides, Cyclodontina, Eoborus, Gastrocopta, Leiostracus and Temesa (besides, of course, the basin\'s three endemic genera: Brasilennea, Itaborahia and Orthalicidae gen. nov.). It is striking that such a diverse fossil fauna like Itaboraí\'s is so scarcely known, for it can potentially offer much help in biogeography and systematics

No description available.

A gradual rise in Earth's surface temperature marks a transition from the late Paleocene to the early Eocene ca. 58-51 Ma. Paleocene/Eocene boundary (∼55.5 Ma) sediments deposited in the midst of this slow warming ubiquitously reveal evidence for a massive isotopically light carbon injection and an associated rapid but transient global warming event, or hyperthermal, that has been termed the Paleocene Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) and attributed to a carbon injection from multiple potential sources. The PETM has gained importance over the past two decades as a potential geologic analog to the modern anthropogenic carbon injection and climate change. However significant questions surrounding the nature of the carbon injection at the onset of the PETM remain. The Clarence River valley, located in the Marlborough region, South Island, New Zealand, contains a series of outcrops of lithified late Paleocene to early Eocene sediments originally deposited on a paleo-slope margin. Within these sections, the Lower Limestone Member of the Amuri Limestone Formation records the interval of interest. A Lower Limestone prominent recessed unit consisting of multiple marl-rich beds and recording a pronounced negative carbon isotopic excursion (CIE) marks the PETM at sections that have been bisected by tributaries to the Clarence River, including Mead Stream and Dee Stream. Here I detail and discuss Clarence valley Lower Limestone sections and relate these records to global trends with an emphasis on adding constraints to the PETM carbon injection. Specifically, I document the lithologic and carbon isotopic expression of the PETM and two younger paired sets of early Eocene events that, similar to the Mead Stream and Dee Stream PETM sections, reveal negative CIEs and expanded marl-rich units coincident to identical CIEs and condensed carbonate dissolution horizons in deep-sea sections. I further quantify the abundance of bioturbating macrofauna trace fossils through the PETM at both Mead Stream and Dee Stream and argue that New Zealand margin intermediate waters became hypoxic precisely coincident to the PETM carbon injection. In concert, these findings suggest a PETM carbon addition mechanism capable of both diminishing intermediate water dissolved oxygen and of repeated early Eocene injections. / U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF); Joint Oceanographic Institutions (JOI), Inc.

No description available.

The occurrence of vertebrate fossils from the Ravenscrag Formation near Roche Perce, southeastern Saskatchewan, Canada, documents the presence of a large and diverse assemblage of early late Paleocene (approximately 58 million years) mammals. Previous studies of the Roche Perce localities have examined only a small portion of the fauna, with the vast majority of taxa remaining undescribed. The current research centers on the identification, description and, where appropriate, evolutionary relationships of these undescribed mammals. Significant discoveries, to date, include two new species of the rare viverravid carnivoran Raphictis, a new species of the phenacodontid condylarth Ectocion, a large collection of a probable new species of the semi-aquatic pantolestid Palaeosinopa, and only the second known occurrence of the predominantly European lipotyphlan Adapisorex in North America. This research provides an improved understanding of mammalian diversity and evolution in the northern part of the Western Interior during this important time interval. / Systematics and Evolution

As fácies calcárias da Bacia de Itaboraí, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, são muito famosas por sua abundante fauna de mamíferos. Entretanto, Itaboraí também abriga uma rica fauna de gastrópodes pulmonados do Paleoceno Médio, tanto terrestres quanto dulciaquícolas. Contudo, os estudos lidando com essa malacofauna abrangem apenas as descrições originais das espécies. Nenhuma revisão taxonômica de maior escopo foi realizada nesses pouco mais de 80 anos desde a descoberta da bacia, embora seja possível identificar diversos problemas com a taxonomia desses fósseis. Desse modo, neste estudo realiza-se uma extensiva revisão taxonômica dessa fauna, descrevendo-se inclusive quatro novas espécies. Após a revisão, a nomenclatura e classificação dos pulmonados fósseis de Itaboraí encontram-se da seguinte maneira: Austrodiscus lopesi (Charopidae); Biomphalaria itaboraiensis e ? Vorticifex fluminensis (Planorbidae); Brachypodella britoi (Urocoptidae); Brasilennea arethusae, Brasilennea minor e Brasilennea sp. nov. (Cerionidae); Bulimulus fazendicus, Bulimulus sommeri, Bulimulus trindadeae, Cyclodontina coelhoi, Itaborahia lamegoi, Leiostracus ferreirai e Orthalicidae gen. nov. carvalhoi (Orthalicidae); Cecilioides sommeri (Ferussaciidae); Eoborus sanctijosephi, Eoborus sp. nov. 1, Eoborus sp. nov. 2 (Strophocheilidae); Gastrocopta mezzalirai, Gastrocopta sp. nov. (Vertiginidae); Temesa magalhaesi (Clausiliidae). A espécie Strobilopsis mauryae foi considerada sinônimo de Brasilennea arethusae. Além disso, relata-se pela primeira vez a ocorrência de ? Cyclodontina cf. (Plagiodontes) dentata para Itaboraí. A bacia conta com os registros fósseis mais antigos das famílias Ferussaciidae e Strophocheilidae. Além disso, os registros de Itaboraí das famílias Charopidae, Clausiliidae, Cerionidae, Orthalicidae, Urocoptidae e Vertiginidae estão entre os mais antigos do mundo. Dentre esses, os registros de Cerionidae, Clausiliidae e Urocoptidae merecem destaque por estarem bem afastados das distribuições atuais das famílias. Ademais, os registros de Itaboraí são os mais antigos para os gêneros Austrodiscus, Brachypodella, Cecilioides, Cyclodontina, Eoborus, Gastrocopta, Leiostracus e Temesa (além, é claro, dos três gêneros endêmicos da bacia, Brasilennea, Itaborahia e Orthalicidae gen. nov.). É surpreendente que um registro tão diverso quanto o de Itaboraí seja pouco explorado, uma vez que ele possui um grande potencial para ajudar a responder diversas questões sobre biogeografia e sistemática / The limestones of Itaboraí Basin, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, are famous for their mammalian fauna. Nevertheless, Itaboraí also harbors a rich fossil molluscan fauna dating from the Middle Paleocene, consisting exclusively of pulmonate snails, both terrestrial and fresh-water. However, the current taxonomy of this fauna comprises only the original descriptions - there is not even a single more thoroughly revision done in the 80 years since the discovery of the basin. Unsurprisingly, many taxonomic problems could be readily identified. Therefore, an extensive taxonomic revision was conducted here, also describing four new species. After such revision work, the nomenclature and classification of Itaboraí\'s fossil pulmonates is as follows: Austrodiscus lopesi (Charopidae); Biomphalaria itaboraiensis e ? Vorticifex fluminensis (Planorbidae); Brachypodella britoi (Urocoptidae); Brasilennea arethusae, Brasilennea minor e Brasilennea sp. nov. (Cerionidae); Bulimulus fazendicus, Bulimulus sommeri, Bulimulus trindadeae, Cyclodontina coelhoi, Cyclodontina cf. (Plagiodontes) dentata, Itaborahia lamegoi, Leiostracus ferreirai e Orthalicidae gen. nov. carvalhoi (Orthalicidae); Cecilioides sommeri (Ferussaciidae); Eoborus sanctijosephi, Eoborus sp. nov. 1, Eoborus sp. nov. 2 (Strophocheilidae); Gastrocopta mezzalirai, Gastrocopta sp. nov. (Vertiginidae); Temesa magalhaesi (Clausiliidae). The species Strobilopsis mauryae was considered a synonym of Brasilennea arethusae. Also, the record of ? Cyclodontina cf. (Plagiodontes) dentata for the basin is presented here for the first time. Itaboraí Basin has the most ancient records of the families Ferussaciidae and Strophocheilidae. Moreover, the basin\'s records of the families Charopidae, Clausiliidae, Cerionidae, Orthalicidae, Urocoptidae and Vertiginidae are among the most ancient in the world. Among these, the records of Cerionidae, Clausiliidae and Urocoptidae deserve special attention for they are greatly removed from these families\' current distribution. Additionally, Itaboraí has the most ancient records for the genera Austrodiscus, Brachypodella, Cecilioides, Cyclodontina, Eoborus, Gastrocopta, Leiostracus and Temesa (besides, of course, the basin\'s three endemic genera: Brasilennea, Itaborahia and Orthalicidae gen. nov.). It is striking that such a diverse fossil fauna like Itaboraí\'s is so scarcely known, for it can potentially offer much help in biogeography and systematics