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Paleoenvironments of Early Devonian plants and fish in the Campbellton Formation, New Brunswick, Canada: invasion of the land at a classic locality

Paleoenvironments of Early Devonian plants and fish in the Campbellton Formation, New Brunswick, Canada: invasion of the land at a classic locality

Paleoenvironments of Early Devonian plants and fish in the Campbellton Formation, New Brunswick, Canada: invasion of the land at a classic locality

Fig. 1 - Lochkovian-Pragian geologic setting

Val d’Amour Volcanics

Avalonia microcontinent

Laurentian margin

N

E

S

W

Foreland basin

Fig. 2 - Emsian-Eifellian geologic setting

N

E

S

W

Gaspe Sandstones Group

Foreland basin

Intermontane basins

Key for stratigraphic columns:

trough cross stratification

ripple cross stratification

grading

planar laminationsplane bedding

dune foresets

imbrication

siderite nodules

nodules and concretions

mottled colouringmicrobialitesrootsbioturbation

Structures

Lithologymudstone

siltstone

shale

sandstone

conglomerate

matrix-supported conglomerate

clast-supported conglomerate

dike or sill

missing

Section VI

6

930

920

910

Scal

e (m

)

Lith

olo

gy MUDSAND

GRAVEL

clay

silt

fm

cvcvf

gran

peb

bco

bb

bo

ul

StructuresEnvi

ron

men

t

Section III

Section IV

Section V

30

20

10

66

70

90

100

5

Scal

e (m

)

Lith

olo

gy MUDSAND

GRAVEL

clay

silt

fmcvcvf

gran

peb

bco

bb

bo

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StructuresEnvi

ron

men

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Section II

70

60

56

30

20

10

80

5

2

MUDSAND

GRAVEL

clay

silt

fm

cvc

Scal

e (m

)

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StructuresEnvi

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Section I

Eastern BeltWestern Belt

-70° -66° -62°

46°

50°

0 50 100km

-66°24'-66°44' -66°40' -66°36' -66°32'

48°00'

48°04'

-66°28'

Restigouche RiverQUEBEC

NEW BRUNSWICK

Campbellton

Dalhousie Junction

OutcropCityPaleocurrentsStratigraphic sections

Bonaventure FmCampbellton FmLa Garde FmVal d’Amour FmIndian Point Fm

Legend:

N 1 km

IV

VIIII

V

n=4

n=2

n=14

n=3

I

I

IIn=6

n=5

Facies descriptions and interpretations of paleoenvironments

Fig. 3 - Geologic map of the Campbellton Formation and surroundings illustrating outcrop extent, paleocurrents, and locations of stratigraphic sections.

a low energy setting with reducing conditions; stably stratified deep water or stagnant ponds

1 - Lacustrine with restricted circulationthinly bedded to laminated siltstones, abundantorganic debris

a shallow lake margin with a high sediment supply,possibly due to steepness of the surrounding volcanic topography

2 - Marginal lacustrinethick lensoid beds of massive siltstones and sandstones interbedded with thin lenses of conglomerate

a very shallow nearshore area with little sedimentation allowing microbialites to develop

3 - Nearshore lacustrinebuff coloured rippled and laminated sandstones withmicrobiolite horizons

shifting deltaic distributaries bring terrestrial debris into a standing, possibly brackish body of water

4 - Sandy coastal-deltaicmedium sandstone with horizontal planar lamination, climbing ripples, and trough cross stratification interbedded with massive sandstones and siltstones

mainly resedimented volcanic material in a deep braided river with rare soil horizons and evidence for frequent strong floods

5 - Sandy to gravelly tropical alluvial plainhorizontally bedded conglomerates and trough cross stratified sandstone with intervals of plant-rich siltstones

partly fluidized hyperconcentrated flows of mainly resedimented volcanic material from a proximal source

6 - Gravelly proximal alluviumthick beds of weakly stratified cobble to boulder conglomerates with occasional plant-bearing sandstone lenses

170

160

154

20

10

1

5

1

Scal

e (m

)

Lith

olo

gy

clay

silt

f c gran

peb

bco

bb

bo

ul

Stru

ctu

res

Envi

ron

men

t

MUDSAND

GRAVEL

mvcvf

Trimerophytes

Pertica

Psilophyton

Trimerophyton

Incertae Sedis

Loganophyton

Bitelaria

Chaleuria

Oocampsa

Rhyniophytes

Taeniocrada

Fossil key

Arthropods

Eurypterids

Ostracods

Gnathostomes

Acanthodian

Chondrichthyans

Agnathans

Placoderms

Ostracoderms

Gastropods

Lycopsids

Drepanophycus

Leclercqia

Kaulangiophyton

Zosterophyllopsids

Oricilla

Sawdonia

Zosterophyllum

10

2?

?1

1

4

Scal

e (m

)

Lith

olo

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GRAVEL

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cvcvf

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StructuresEnvi

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Contact breccia and fissures

SynthesisWESTERN BELT

EASTERN BELT (Fig. 6)

AcanthodianChondrichthyanPlacodermOstracodermEurypteridOstracodGastropod

Campbellton Fm breccia and fissure-fills

Fig. 4 - Schematic representation of the fossiliferous lower formational contact

Val d’Amour Fm flow-banded

rhyolite NSinterbedded tabular sandstones

and mudstones with sandstone channels massive grey mudstones

Fig. 5 - Schematic representation of section I

NS

Section V: Braided river system with shallow soils containing rootlets and glaebules, but no plant fossils.

Section IV: A fluvial landscape with g r e e n m i c a c e o u s f l o o d p l a i n siltstones, sublithic arenite sandstone channels with abundant plant detritus, and channel conglomerates derived predominantly from volcanic sources. Fine-grained beds contain O. bilinearis, Psilophyton, T. dubia, S. ornata , L. complexa , Pertica , Drepanophycus, Loganophyton, C. cirrosa, and terrestrial arthropods.

Section IV: Matted plant axes of B. dubjanskii , O. bilinearis , and Drepanophycus in lower strata and L. a n d r e w s i i , O . c a t h e t a , Kaulangiophyton, and P. charientos in higher strata are shallow pond fills, probably with little circulation in an alluvial plain setting.

Section III: Marginal lake environment where steep topography, a wet climate, and weatherable volcanic surroundings result in frequent underflows of conglomerates and sandstones quickly burying lake-side plant taxa like S. acanthotheca , Z. divaricatum , D. gaspianus, and D. spinaeformis. Virtually all feldspars have altered to kaolin-group minerals; however, this alteration did not negatively affect the preservation of plant material.

Section III: Pseams in which morphological plant details have been destroyed. Likely formed in shallow water.

rimitive 10 cm thick coal Section III: Volcaniclastic proximal alluvium with P. princeps, P. coniculum, D. spinaeformis, and Prototaxites within cobbles and sandstone lenses.

Lower contact (Fig. 4): The fissured rhyolite surface of the Val d’Amour Formation was submerged providing a shelter for aquatic organisms. This surface was filled by micrite and rhyolite breccia preserving plant debris washed from land, disarticulated, articulated, and fragmental fish and arthropod fossils, and complete ostracods and gastropods.

Section I (Fig. 5): A sandy deltaic system that microfossil evidence suggests may be brackish. Most specimens are preserved in interdistributary mudstone including a large Pterygotus molt and the articulated braincase of the chondrichthyan Doliodus problematicus. Some pterygotids were compressed by high energy events within sandstone channels.

Section IV,V

E

W

Section III

Fig. 6 - Schematic representation of the eastern belt

Taxon4-11

Embryophytes Psilophyton princeps Trimerophyton robustius Drepanophycus spinaeformis Leclercqia compexa Vertebrates Ostracoderms Yvonaspis campbelltonensis Cephalaspis jexi Cephalaspis acadica Placodermi Phlyctænius acadicus Acanthodii Ankylacanthus incurvis Climatius latispinosis Mesacanthus semistriatus Cheiracanthus costellatus Chondrichthyes Protodus jexi Doliodus problematicus Invertebrates Eurypterids Pterygotus Pterygotus anglicus Ostracods Primitia mundula Primitia scaphoides Gastropods Cyclora valvatiformis Cyclora turbinata Other Spirorbis

Section I and contact

mainly deltaicSection III

mainly lacustrine (L) or alluvial (A) Taxon12-18 L/A

Embryophytes Zosterophyllopsids Zosterophyllum divaricatum L Sawdonia acanthotheca L Trimerophytes Psilophyton princeps A Psilophyton coniculum A Lycopsids Drepanophycus spinaeformis L, A Drepanophycus gaspianus L Rhyniophytes Taeniocrada L Other Spongiophyton minutissimum L Pachytheca L Prototaxites A

Gaspestria genselorumNBMG 10091

Sawdonia acanthotheca NBMG 12087

DrepanophycusNBMG

Sawdonia ornataNBMG 12124

Taphonomy: mats of carbonized axes or films of isolated fragments in a matrix of a micaceous siltstone

Taphonomy: isolated carbonized films of fragments in a kaolinite-rich siltstone

Where noted, photographs are of specimens from the New Brunswick Museum collection (NBMG)All scale bars = 1cm

Section IVmainly fluvial

Taxon12-18

Embryophytes Zosterophyllopsids Oricilla bilinearis Sawdonia ornata Sawdonia acanthotheca Zosterophyllum divaricatum Trimerophytes Pertica dalhousii Psilophyton charientos Psilophyton princeps Lycopsids Drepanophycus gaspianus Drepanophycus spinaeformis Leclercqia complexa Leclercqia andrewsii Kaulangiophyton Rhyniophytes Taeniocrada dubia Incertae Sedis Loganophyton Bitelaria dubjanskii Chaleuria cirrosa Oocampsa catheta Invertebrates mesoscorpion unnamed Myriopods Eoarthropleura devonica Gaspestria genselorum

PterygotusNBMG 12392

Phlyctaenius acadicusNBMG 14368

Oricilla bilinearisNBMG 12113

Psilophyton princepsNBMG 9164

Climatius latispinosisNBMG 12394b

Yvonaspis campbelltonesis Pertica dalhousiiNBMG 12125

Chaleuria cirrosaNBMG 12118

Taphonomy: articulated and disarticulated fossils in indurated

gray mudstones and rhyolite breccia

1

250

224

200198

160

150

140

132

92

60

50

40

30

24

10

Volcaniclastic Interval

6

3

2

1

coal