Niagara Gorge (Silurian of the United States)

Also known as Prolixocrinus-Thaerocrinus Assoc., Hickory Corners Mbr., Niagara Gorge

Where: New York (43.2° N, 79.0° W: paleocoordinates 23.4° S, 48.8° W)

• coordinate based on political unit

• local area-level geographic resolution

When: Hickory Corners Member (Reynales Formation), Aeronian (440.8 - 438.5 Ma)

• "Middle Llandoverian (C1)...Lower beds of Hickory Corners Member..."

• group of beds-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: offshore ramp; argillaceous wackestone and gray, green, calcareous shale

• "A few laminated calcisiltite and graded calcarenite beds represent storm transport and redeposition of carbonate silt and fine skeletal debris; however, the muddy nodular character ofmuch of the limestone indicates typical lowe-energy conditions; bioturbation was relatively thorough, yielding mixtures of skeletal grains and sediments. The highly disarticulated and fragmented...fossils, together with thin, condensed...facies, indicates very low rates of deposition interrupted only rarely by tempestites...below average but well above maximum storm wave base, and stratigraphic relationships suggest BA 4, although Boucot preferred BA 2 [see Hyattidina Community, PBDB coll. 24866]..."

•2003:04:06 SEP environmental/tectonic/sequence calls based on field knowledge familiarity with stratigraphic context. also Brett et al. (1998). Silurian Cycles. Bulletin NY state museum 491 (p. 103).

• "...fossils occur in lenticular beds of argillaceous wackestone interbedded with calcareous greenish-gray shale."

Size class: macrofossils

Collection methods: Crinoid abundances given in table 45.34. Other taxa listed in text.

Primary reference: T. J. Frest, C. E. Brett, and B. J. Witzke. 1999. Caradocian-Gedinnian echinoderm associations of Central and Eastern North America. Paleocommunities--a case study from the Silurian and Lower Devonian 638-783 [M. Foote/K. Koverman/P. Wagner]more details

Purpose of describing collection: paleoecologic analysis

PaleoDB collection 26777: authorized by Michael Foote, entered by Michael Foote on 31.10.2002

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

unclassified
  -
Anthozoa
 Stauriida - Streptelasmatidae
Enterolasma sp. Simpson 1900 horn coral
 Favositida - Favositidae
Favosites sp. Lamarck 1816 tabulate coral
Strophomenata
 Orthotetida - Chilidiopsidae
"Coolinia sp." = Fardenia (Coolinia)
"Coolinia sp." = Fardenia (Coolinia) Bancroft 1949
Rhynchonellata
 Orthida - Platystrophiidae
 Orthida - Rhipidomellidae
Dalejina sp. Havlicek 1953
 Orthida - Dalmanellidae
Resserella sp. Bancroft 1928
 Athyridida - Hyattidinidae
Hyattidina sp. Schuchert 1913
Stenolaemata
 Cryptostomata - Arthrostylidae
Helopora sp. Hall 1851
 Fenestrata -
Fenestrata indet. Elias and Condra 1957
Trilobita
 Corynexochida - Illaenidae
Bumastus sp. Murchison 1839 trilobite
 Phacopida - Encrinuridae
Encrinurus sp. Emmrich 1844 trilobite
 Phacopida - Calymenidae
Liocalymene sp. Raymond 1916 trilobite
Crinoidea
 Myelodactylida - Myelodactylidae