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Marine Triassic faunas of North America: Their significance for assessing plate and terrane movements

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Zusammenfassung

Die Verbreitung der marinen Invertebratenfaunen der Trias Nordamerikas wird im Hinblick auf Aussagen zur Paläolatitude durchgesehen.

Marine Trias gibt es auf der Nordamerikanischen Platte über 46 Breitengrade von Californien bis nach Ellesmere Island. Für einige Zeitabschnitte lassen sich zwei bis drei unterschiedliche Faunenprovinzen gegeneinander abgrenzen. Die Unterschiede in den Faunen sind offensichtlich an die Paläolatitude geknüpft. Sie werden als LPL, MPL, HPL (niedere, mittlere, höhere Paläolatitude) bezeichnet. Nevada liefert die diagnostischen Merkmale der niederen; das nordöstlich British Columbia die der mittleren und das Sverdrup Becken die der höheren Paläolatitude. Eine Unterscheidung zwischen den Provinzen der mittleren und der höheren Paläolatituden läßt sich für die Untertrias und tiefere Mitteltrias (Anis) nicht treffen. Jedoch lassen sich in den Ablagerungen des Ladin, Kam und Nor alle drei Provinzen erkennen.

In den westlichen Zügen der Cordilleren sind marine Faunen vom südlichen Alaska und Yukon bis nach Mexico aus den bezüglich der Nordamerikanischen Platten offensichtlich allochthonen Teilen bekannt. Unter- und obertriadische Faunen dieser Gebiete so wie einige, die heute bis 63° Nord liegen besitzen die Charakterzüge der niederen Paläobreiten. Mitteltriadische Faunen dieser Zonen liefern, soweit bekannt, keine wesentlichen Daten. In den westlichen Cordilleren finden sich die Faunen der niederen Paläobreiten bis zu 3000 km nördlich ihrer Gegenstücke auf der Amerikanischen Platte. Damit wird eine tektonische Verschiebung dieser Größenordnung angezeigt.

Betrachtet man die Faunen und die Art der Sedimente, dann läßt sich die Paläogeographie der Trias wie folgt interpretieren: eine tektonisch ruhige Westküste der Nordamerikanischen Platte, die an ein offenes Meer grenzte; im küstenferneren Gebiet lieferte eine Serie vulkanischer Archipele Sediment in die angrenzenden Becken. Einige waren gesäumt oder zeitweise bedeckt von korallenführenden Watten und Karbonatbanken. Tiefere Becken lagen dazwischen. Die Inseln lagen wahrscheinlich innerhalb 30° nahe dem triadischen Äquator. Sie zogen sich von der Küste weg bis etwa 5000 km Entfernung zum Vorläufer des Ostpazifischen Rückens. Die geographische Situation westlich des Rückens sah vermutlich ähnlich aus.

Jurassische und spätere Generationen der Kruste aus der Nähe des Rückens haben einige der Inseln in die Nordamerikanische Platte eingebracht; einige wahrscheinlich nach Südamerika; andere sind nach Westen, nach Asien gedriftet. Es gibt Anzeichen dafür, daß Neuguinea, Neukaledonien und Neuseeland zur Triaszeit auf einer nördlichen Breite von 30° oder mehr gelegen haben.

Die Züge, die heute die westlichen Cordilleren bilden, waren wahrscheinlich zusammengeschweißt und haben die Nordamerikanische Platte vor Ende der Jurazeit erreicht.

Abstract

The distribution of marine Triassic invertebrate faunas in North America is reviewed to recognize forms that may have paleolatitudinal significance.

Marine Triassic occurs on the North American Plate over a latitudinal spread of 46 degrees, from California to Ellesmere Island. At some intervals of time faunas on the Plate permit the discrimination of two or three provinces with distinctively different coeval faunas. The faunal differences are evidently related to paleolatitude and the provinces are designated LPL, MPL, HPL (low, mid, high paleolatitude). Nevada provides the diagnostic characters of the LPL province; northeastern British Columbia the MPL; the Sverdrup Basin the HPL. In the Lower Triassic and early Middle Triassic (Anisian) the distinction between the MPL and HPL provinces cannot be made. All three provinces are recognized in the Ladinian, Carnian and Norian deposits.

In the western tracts of the Cordillera, the part formed of suspect terranes, apparently allochthonous with respect to the North American Plate, marine faunas are known all the way from southern Alaska and Yukon to Mexico. Lower and Upper Triassic faunas from these terranes, including some which today are at 63 degrees north, have the characters of the LPL province. Middle Triassic faunas from the terranes, as presently known, do not contribute significant data. In the terranes of the Western Cordillera LPL faunas are now up to 3000 km north of their counterparts on the American Plate. Tectonic displacement of this order is indicated.

Taking into account the faunas and the nature of the rocks, the Triassic palaeogeography is interpreted as: a tectonically quiet west shore for the North American Plate, bordered by an open sea or ocean; then, well off-shore, a series of volcanic archipelagos shedding sediment into adjacent basins. Some were fringed or intermittently covered by coralline shoals and carbonate banks. Deeper basins were in between. The islands probably were within 30 degrees of the Triassic equator and extended offshore for about 5000 km, to the spreading ridge directly ancestral to the East Pacific Rise. The geography west of the spreading ridge was probably comparable.

Jurassic and later generation of crust at the ridge has driven some of the islands into the North American Plate; some probably to South America; others have gone west to Asia. Evidence is given that northern New Guinea, New Caledonia and New Zealand may have been at a north latitude of 30 degrees or more in the Triassic.

The terranes now forming the Western Cordillera had probably amalgamated, and reached the North American Plate, before the end of the Jurassic.

Résumé

La distribution des faunes d'invertébrés marins du Triasique dans l'Amérique du Nord est passée en revue afin de reconnaître les formes qui peuvent avoir une signification pour les latitudes du passé.

Le Triasique marin existe sur la plaque de l'Amérique du Nord sur 46, degré de latitude, de la Californie à l'Ile d'Ellesmere. A certains intervalles de temps, des faunes permettent la distinction de 2 ou 3 provinces à partir de faunes contemporaines nettement différentes. Les différences de faunes se montrent en relation évidente avec la paléolatitude, et les provinces sont désignées LPL, MPL, HPL (base, moyenne, haute paléolatitude). Le Nevada fournit la diagnose de la province LPL; le NE de la Colombie britanique, le MPL; le bassin de Sverdrup, le HPL. Dans le Triasique inférieur et le début du Triasique moyen (Anisian), la distinction ne peut être faite entre provinces MPL et HPL. Les 3 provinces sont chacune reconnues au Ladinien, au Carnien ent au Norien.

Dans les aires occidentales de la Cordillère, dans la partie formée de terrains apparemment allochtones par rapport à la plaque de l'Amérique du Nord, des faunes marines sont connues depuis l'Alaska méridional et le Yukon jusqu'au Mexique. Des faunes du Trias inférieur et Supérieur de ces terrains, y compris certaines qui aujourd'hui se trouvent à 63° N, ont les caractères de la province LPL. Des faunes du Triasique moyen de ces terrains, à présent connues, n'apportent pas de données significatives. Dans les terrains de la Cordillère occidentale, des faunes LPL sont connues actuellement jusqu'à 3000 km. au nord de leurs correspondants sur la plaque américaine, indiquant un déplacement tectoniue de cet ordre.

Prenant en considération les faunes et la nature des roches, la paléogeographie du Triasique est interprétée comme suit: un rivage occidental tectoniquement calme pour la plaque de l'Amérique du Nord, bordée par une mer ouverte ou un océan; ensuite, à l'écart de ce rivage, une série d'archipels volcaniques distribuant des sédiments dans les bassins adjacents. Les îles étaient probablement dans un espace de 30° à partir de l'équateur triasique, et s'étendaient au delà du rivage sur environ 5000 km. jusqu'à la ride d'expansion qui fut l'ancêtre direct de l'East Pacific Rise. La géographie à l'ouest de la ride d'expansion était probablement comparable.

La croûte engendrée au Jurassique et plus tard à partir de cette ride a entraîné certaines de ces iles volcaniques dans la plaque de l'Amérique du Nord; certaines probablement jusqu'à l'Amérique du Sud; d'autres s'en sont allées vers l'ouest vers l'Asie. Des faits montrent que le Nord de la Nouvelle Guinée, la Nouvelle Calédonie et la Nouvelle Zélande peuvent s'être trouvées à une latitude nord de 30° et plus au Triasique.

Les terrains formant actuellement l'ouest de la Cordillère s'étaient probablement réunis et avaient atteint la plaque de l'Amérique du Nord avant la fin du Jurassique.

Краткое содержание

Рассмотрено распост ранение морских бесп озвоночных в различных палеоширо тах северной Америки в тр иасе.

Морские отложения тр иаса на североамерик анской платформе простираю тся на более, чем 46 широтны х градуса от Калифорни и до островов моря Эллис. для некоторых отрезк ов времени можно разг раничить от двух до трех различны х провинций фауны. Разл ичия в фауне явно связ аны с палеоширотой. Их именуют низкие, сре дние и высокие палеош ироты (LPL, MPL, HPL). В Неваде находят отлич ительные признаки ни зких широт; северовосточная британская Колумбия относится к средним, а бассейн Свердрупа — к высоким палеоширотам. Различ ия между провинциями средних и вы с окихпалеоширот и нижнем триаса и сред нем триаса (анисийски й век) не установлено. Зато в отложениях ладинско го, карнского и новийс кого веков отм е чены все три пров инции.

Морская фауна, известная в Кор дильерах от южной Аля ски и Юкона до Мексики, в основном ал лохтонового происхо ждения. Фауна верхного и нижн его триаса этих регионов, как и некоторые район ы, расположенные сегод ня до 63° северной широты, н есут черты фауны низк их палеоширот. Среднетр иасовая фауна этих зон не дает, поскольку известно, н икаких важных разультатов. В западных Кордильер ах находят фауну низк их палеоширот до 3000 км севернее ее эквивале нта на африканской пл атформе. Это указывает на тектони ческое смещение такого же по рядка.

Рассматривая фауну и тип осадочных пород м ожно интерпретировать па леогеографию триаса следующим обр азом: тектонически сп окойное западное побережье североаме риканской плиты, прил егающее к открытому морю; В обла стях, отдаленных от берега серия вулканических архипелагов поставляет седименты в прилегаю щие бассейны. Некотор ые из них обрамляются прибреж ной отмелью, или даже стан овятся ею, покрыпаемо й водой во время приливов, заливаемой. Между ним и находятся глубокие бассейны. Острова распалались, вероятно, от 30° широты, ближе к триасовому эк ватору. Они простираются от берега до примерно 5000 км к предшевственни к у восточной части хребта Тихого океана.

Географические соот ношения западнее от хребта выглядели, вероятно, т акже, как и в восточной части. Юрские и поздние поко ления коры из районов вблизи хребта образовали острова севроамерик анской плиты. Некотор ые из них дрейфовали, вероятно, к южной Америке, други е на запад, к Азии. Есть основания предполагать, что новая Гвинея, Нова я Каледония и Новая Зе ландия в Триасовый период располагалась на 30° се верной широты, или даж е выше. Внешний вид сегодняш них западных Кордиль ер североамериканской платформы возник, вероятно, в кон це юры.

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Tozer, E.T. Marine Triassic faunas of North America: Their significance for assessing plate and terrane movements. Geol Rundsch 71, 1077–1104 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01821119

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