Cuneognathus gardineri type locality (Devonian of Greenland)

Also known as South Face of Celsius Bjerg

Where: Northeast Greenland National Park, Greenland (73.1° N, 23.2° W: paleocoordinates 3.7° S, 3.5° W)

• coordinate based on political unit

• outcrop-level geographic resolution

When: Obrutschew Bjerg Formation, Famennian (372.2 - 358.9 Ma)

• “[R]ecent palynological analyses of the Obrutschew Bjerg Formation on Stensiö Bjerg, Gauss Halve, reveal a major turnover in the spore faunas within the unit, demonstrating that this formation straddles the Devonian-Carboniferous boundary (J. E. A. Marshall, personal commun., 2003). Between the lower and upper portions of the formation, which yield diagnostically Devonian and Carboniferous palynomorph assemblages, respectively, is an interval rich in amorphous organic matter (AOM) but lacking spores (Fig. 1). Analyses of rock matrix containing the actinopterygian specimens reported here yield only AOM and no palynomorphs, indicating that these fossils originate from the barren portion of the formation (J. E. A. Marshall, personal commun., 2003). The palynomorph Retispora lepidophyta (Kedo, 1957) Playford, 1976, the last appearance of which marks the end of the Devonian, is found on both sides of this AOM-rich zone, indicating that this interval and the actinopterygian fossils which it contains are latest Famennian in age.” (Friedman and Blom 2006)

• formation-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: lacustrine; black shale and mudstone

• "The depositional environment has been interpreted as lacustrine characterized by anaerobic conditions (Olsen, 1993; Olsen and Larsen, 1993). The Obrutschew Bjerg Formation represents the uppermost depositional complex of the Celsius Bjerg Group, which is dominated by a combination of floodplain siltstones and shales and point bar sandstones." (Friedman and Blom 2006)
• "a dark calcareous shale with fish and plant remains at about 1,200m on the western ridge on the south side of Celsius Bjerg" (H. Bütler, letter To E. Jarvik, Dated 1954; Translated from German; Quoted in Friedman and Blom 2006)

•"This formation is 4–6 m thick and consists of black shales in association with dark limestones, grey mudstones, and red sandstones." (Friedman and Blom 2006)

Size class: macrofossils

Preservation: adpression

Collected by H. Bütler in 1954

Collection methods: mechanical, hydrochloric,

• Repository: Geological Museum, Copenhagen

Primary reference: M. Friedman and H. L. Blom. 2006. A new Actinopterygian from the Famennian of East Greenland and the interrelationships of Devonian ray-finned fishes. Journal of Paleontology 80(6):1186-1204 [S. Peters/S. McMullen/S. McMullen]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 135941: authorized by Shanan Peters, entered by Sharon McMullen on 12.11.2012

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Show authors, comments, and common names
Osteichthyes
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Cuneognathus gardineri n. gen. n. sp.
Cuneognathus gardineri n. gen. n. sp. Friedman and Blom 2006