Crinoid and ostracod succession within the Early-Middle Frasnian interval in the Wietrznia Quarry, Holy Cross Mountains, Poland

Early-Middle Frasnian ostracods and crinoids from Wietrznia in the Northern Kielce subregion of the Holy Cross area were analyzed. Twenty three ostracod species assigned to thirteen named genera, as well as eighteen crinoid species including the representatives of fifteen stem-based taxa were distinguished. For most of the species open nomenclature is applied. The composition of ostracod assemblage changes from moderately diverse in the lower part of the Palmatolepis transitans Zone to poorly diverse in its higher part. Lack of ostracods in the uppermost part of the Pa. transitans Zone and in the Palmatolepis punctata Zone is noted. The crinoid distribution pattern comprises the interval of relatively high diversity, interrupted in the uppermost part of the Pa. transitans Zone, and the interval of temporary recovery in the lower Pa. punctata Zone. Such distribution patterns point to deterioration of environmental conditions across the Early-Middle Frasnian transition, coinciding with a large-scale C-isotopic perturbation superimposed on intermittent, two-step eustatic sea level rise. On the other hand, impoverished, surviving crinoid faunas and absence of ostracods in the Pa. punctata Zone indicate the overall long-term deterioration of life conditions through the major C-isotope anomaly time span. However, this may also result from synsedimentary tectonic pulses, causing block movements and large-scale resedimentation phenomena on the northern slope of the Dyminy Reef during the basal Middle Frasnian sea level rise

Middle Frasnian (Devonian) ostracods from the Frasnes railway section (Dinant Synclinorium, Belgium); taxonomy, biostratigraphy, paleoecology

Eighty-nine samples have been collected for ostracods, from the stratotypes for the upper part of the Moulin Liénaux Formation and the Grands Breux Formation, in the Frasnes railway section. Forty-seven taxa were recognised, of which 20 have been recorded for the first time in the Middle Frasnian (Devonian) of the Dinant Synclinorium (Belgium). The stratigraphic distributions of a series of already known species are stated more precisely. The investigated part of the section belongs to the Favulella lecomptei Zone. A new species, Bairdiacypris breuxensis nov. sp. is described. The ostracods present in the upper part of the Moulin Liénaux Formation and in the Grands Breux Formation belong exclusively to the Eifelian Mega-Assemblage and their distribution is principally controlled by the energy of the environment, linked to sea level fluctuations

Ostracods, rock facies and magnetic susceptibility of the Hanonet Formation / Trois-Fontaines Formation boundary interval (Early Givetian) at the Mont d’Haurs (Givet, France)

Approximately 870 carapaces, valves and fragments of ostracods were extracted from 26 samples collected in the Hanonet Formation (= Fm) and Trois-Fontaines Fm in a section located along the southwestern rampart of the historically entrenched military camp at the Mont d’Haurs (Givet, France). Forty-eight species belonging to the Eifelian Mega-Assemblage have been identified and three new are proposed: Coryellina? audiarti nov. sp., Cavellina haursensis nov. sp. and Parabolbinella coeni nov. sp. The ostracod assemblages are generally indicative of shallow marine well-oxygenated environments, except at the base of the Trois-Fontaines Fm where ostracods indicative of semi-restricted and even of lagoonal water conditions are reported.The sedimentary record represents a transition from mixed siliciclastic-carbonate open-marine ramp system to restricted carbonate platform with deposition in low-energy peritidal and lagoonal settings frequently affected by subaerial exposition. A general trend follows a shallowing-upward and a relative sea-level decrease from the Hanonet Fm toward the Trois-Fontaines Fm.High-energy characterized the ramp setting and destroyed most of the stromatoporoid and coral buildups, which occur as floatstone and rudstone accumulations forming a thick biostrome. Girvanella and issinellid shoals developed also in this high-energy environment. The low-field magnetic susceptibility (=MS) log plotted against the lithological column reveals four magnetic sequences. The MS log and microfacies are moderately correlated mainly due to the evolution of sedimentary environments from a ramp to a platform. The MS values of the Trois-Fontaines Fm are very low in the biostromal unit whereas restricted lagoonal facies are characterized by the highest values of MS. A high-resolution stratigraphic correlative pattern is proposed here between the Mont d’Haurs section and the 40 km distant Baileux section despite the greater thickness. The MS signal is strongly controlled by minerals of ferromagnetic characteristics with a minor contribution of paramagnetic phases. The lagoonal sediments of the Trois-Fontaines Fm are characterized also by the highest values of normalized viscosity coefficient and a IRM loss. These results confirm the occurrence of a significantly high proportion of ultrafine magnetic grains which may be formed during diagenesis by chemical remanent magnetization processes.The list of the Givetian ostracods figured by Coen (1985) and recently lodged at the Department of Paleontology at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences is reported in annex with new inventory numbers

Ostracods, rock facies and magnetic susceptibility of the Trois-Fontaines and Terres d’Haurs Formations (Early Givetian) in the Rancennes quarry at the Mont d’Haurs (Givet, France)

About 1,200 ostracods were extracted from 64 samples collected in the upper part of the Trois-Fontaines Formation (Fm) and in the base of the Terres d’Haurs Fm in the Rancennes quarry located along the western rampart of an historic entrenched military camp at the Mont d’Haurs (southern part of the Dinant Synclinorium, Ardennes Department, France). The ostracod richness and diversity are quite variable, and monospecificity prevails in numerous samples. Forty-nine ostracod species are recognised. In the Trois-Fontaines Fm, environments were lagoonal or semi-restricted, and the level containing numerous Leperditicopid ostracods (Herrmannina) indicative of (brackish?) lagoonal environments is 40 m thick. In the Terres d’Haurs Fm the environment was semi-restricted or more frequently shallow marine but the energy of the environment was apparently never very high. The level rich in Leperditicopida (Herrmannina) in the Trois-Fontaines Fm corresponds remarkably to the highest magnetic susceptibility (MS) value. The Rancennes microfacies point to a tidal flat system with various subenvironments such as restricted intertidal, supratidal and channel deposits. The system was bordered by subtidal open marine deposits where former reefal constructions have been destroyed. Frequent oscillations in this low-gradient shallow platform led to the exposure and modification of marginal ponds, floodplain environments or palustrine areas. No evidence of evaporitic environments or sabkha were encountered. The sedimentary system records the evolution of a shallow restricted carbonate platform (Trois-Fontaines Fm) to a carbonate ramp setting (Terres d’Haurs Fm). The evolution of the platfom to a ramp could be related to the cessation of the active role of a reefal barrier possibly as a response to synsedimentary tectonism and block faulting.The magnetic susceptibility curve established for the Rancennes quarry highlights 26 short-term magnetic evolutions that can be grouped into 10 major long-term magnetic sequences characterized by decreasing, increasing or stable magnetic susceptibility fluctuations. Magnetic susceptibility values range between 3.75 x 10-9 and 2.98 x 10-7 m³/kg. There is a general good correspondence between the microfacies and magnetic susceptibility curves, which are clearly mimetic at the smaller scale (i.e., 5th-order parasequences). The magnetic susceptibility curve could thus be interpreted as sea-level oscillations. A part of the magnetic minerals carrying the MS signal must have a detrital origin. Magnetization and coercivity ratios deduced from hysteresis loops indicate the presence of detrital coarse-grained multi-domain magnetite and authigenic mixtures of fine-grained superparamagnetic and single-domain magnetite. The MS signal of the Rancennes quarry seems to be controlled by the ferrimagnetic fraction (magnetite) with minor paramagnetic contribution (clay minerals and pyrite).The Rancennes quarry completes the stratotype of the Terres d’Haurs Fm because the section exposes the boundary with the Trois-Fontaines Fm unlike the previously proposed stratotype located on the south-eastern flank of the Mont d’Haurs entrenched camp