Ammonite Faunal Dynamics Across Bio-Events During the Mid-and Late Cretaceous Along the Russian Pacific Coast

Jagt−Yazykova, E.A. 2012. Ammonite faunal dynamics across bio−events during the mid − and Late Cretaceous along th

Ammonite faunal dynamics across bio-events during the mid- and Late Cretaceous along the Russian Pacific coast

The present paper focuses on the evolutionary dynamics of ammonites from sections along the Russian Pacific coast during the midand Late Cretaceous. Changes in ammonite diversity (i.e., disappearance [extinction or emigration], appearance [origination or immigration], and total number of species present) constitute the basis for the identification of the main bio−events. The regional diversity curve reflects all global mass extinctions, faunal turnovers, and radiations. In the case of the Pacific coastal regions, such bio−events (which are comparatively easily recognised and have been described in detail), rather than first or last appearance datums of index species, should be used for global correlation. This is because of the high degree of endemism and provinciality of Cretaceous macrofaunas from the Pacific region in general and of ammonites in particular

Terminal Maastrichtian ammonites from Turkmenistan, Central Asia

A complete uppermost Maastrichtian–Danian succession in the Sumbar River section, western Kopet Dagh (southwest Turkmenistan, Central Asia), constitutes one of the few instances in the world where the fossil record of the last ammonites can be directly positioned with respect to the iridium−rich, impact−related clay layer, which defines the Cretaceous–Paleogene (K–Pg) boundary. Two ammonite taxa, Baculites cf. vertebralis and Hoploscaphites constrictus johnjagti, range up to a level directly beneath the K–Pg boundary clay in the Sumbar River section. Thus, these two forms probably survived until the very end of the Maastrichtian in the western Kopet Dagh area. The terminal Maastrichtian ammonite records from the Sumbar River area represent the southeasternmost occurrences of these essentially Boreal taxa