Rahal Shale, RT IIa/0 and RT IIIa/4-5, Rabat-Tiflet Area, Morocco (Devonian of Morocco)

Where: Morocco (34.0° N, 6.9° W: paleocoordinates 44.5° S, 15.1° E)

• coordinate based on political unit

• outcrop-level geographic resolution

When: Rahal Shale Formation, Eifelian (393.3 - 387.7 Ma)

• Rahal-Schiefer. Lower Eifelian (ref. 7485). (Dalejan in Fig. 5 of ref. 7488.) Section IIIa, levels 4 and 5. Section IIa, level 0.

• group of beds-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: marine; shale and limestone

• From Ref. 7488: "The Rabat-Tiflet area is a complex "anticlinal resp. anticlinorial" structure (W-E). The beds are folded in a mediotype style and disturbed by normal faults and several overthrusts of limited extent. Traces of isoclinal folding are rare. The folding is the result of the Hercynian (Variscan) orogeny. The R-T area is a typical region of the so-called Hercynian-Bohemian facies development of the Silurian and Devonian, moreover in facies and faunal development very reminiscent of the barrandian area...It is characterized by a complete marine succession, a conformable gradual transition from the Upper Silurian (Budnanian) into the early Lower Devonian (Lochkovian), without any effects of the Late Caledonian orogeny."
• Lithology based on stratigraphic column. Principal lithology is "Tonschiefer mit Kalklinsen".

Primary reference: G. K. B. Alberti. 1969. Trilobiten des juengeren Siluriums sowie des Unter- und Mitteldevons. I. Mit Beitraegen zur Silur-Devon-Stratigraphie einiger Gebiete Marokkos und Oberfrankens. Abhandlungen der Senckenbergischen Naturforschenden Gesellschaft 520:1-692 [M. Foote/M. Foote/M. Foote]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 27052: authorized by Michael Foote, entered by Michael Foote on 15.11.2002

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

• Faunas of the R-T area include graptolites, tentaculitids, conodonts, and brachiopods. The last two groups have not been studied in detail.
Show authors, comments, and common names
Trilobita
 Odontopleurida - Odontopleuridae
"Leonaspis aff. derelicta" = Kettneraspis derelicta
"Leonaspis aff. derelicta" = Kettneraspis derelicta Barrande 1846 trilobite
 Proetida - Proetidae
Cyrtosymboloides aff. samum, Cyrtosymboloides barrandei, Cyrtosymboloides aff. barrandei
Cyrtosymboloides aff. samum Alberti 1967 trilobite
Cyrtosymboloides barrandei Roemer 1854 trilobite
Cyrtosymboloides aff. barrandei Roemer 1854 trilobite
 Proetida - Aulacopleuridae
Cyphaspides sp. n. sp.
Cyphaspides sp. n. sp. Novak 1890 trilobite
 Phacopida - Phacopidae
"Phacops (Phacops) breviceps" = Chotecops breviceps, Struveaspis cf. micromma
"Phacops (Phacops) breviceps" = Chotecops breviceps Barrande 1846 trilobite
Struveaspis cf. micromma Roemer 1852 trilobite
Tentaculita
 Nowakiida - Nowakiidae
Viriatellina cf. gracilistriata, Nowakia cf. cancellata
Cephalopoda
 Agoniatitida - Agoniatitidae
"Werneroceras ruppachense" = Fidelites ruppachensis
"Werneroceras ruppachense" = Fidelites ruppachensis Kayser 1879 ammonite