Zefre (Miocene to of Iran)

Where: Iran (33.0° N, 52.1° E: paleocoordinates 32.1° N, 51.2° E)

• coordinate stated in text

• outcrop-level geographic resolution

When: Qom Formation, Aquitanian to Aquitanian (23.0 - 16.0 Ma)

• Because of the lack of diagnostic fossils the biostratigraphic zonation of this section is less precise and gives an Early Miocene age only.

Environment/lithology: shallow subtidal; marl and limestone

• Corallites are partly present on both sides of the branches indicating shallow, well-illuminated water. [...] One horizon in a marly section with laminar Leptoseris colonies is interpreted to be a deeper-water environment.
• The lower part of the Zefre Section is dominated by marls. It is topped by a limestone dominated sequence.[...] The branches of these colonies are horizontally arranged forming sheetstones.

Size class: macrofossils

Preservation: recrystallized

Reposited in the NHMW

Primary reference: F. Schuster. 2002. Early Miocene scleractinian corals from the Qom and Asmari formations (central and southwest Iran). Courier Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg (239)129-161 [W. Kiessling/A. Girndt]more details

Purpose of describing collection: paleoecologic analysis

PaleoDB collection 79647: authorized by Wolfgang Kiessling, entered by Antje Girndt on 17.03.2008

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Show authors, comments, and common names
Anthozoa
 Scleractinia - Merulinidae
? Leptoria sp., Tarbellastraea russoi, Hydnophora cf. cristatoseriata
? Leptoria sp. Milne-Edwards and Haime 1848 stony coral
Tarbellastraea russoi Bosellini 1996 stony coral
Hydnophora cf. cristatoseriata Zuffardi-Comerci 1937 stony coral
 Scleractinia - Mussidae
Leptomussa sp.
Leptomussa sp. d'Archiardi 1867 stony coral
 Scleractinia - Agariciidae
Leptoseris sp.
Leptoseris sp. Milne-Edwards and Haime 1849 stony coral
 Scleractinia - Poritidae
Goniopora sp., Porites sp.
Goniopora sp. Blainville 1830 stony coral
Porites sp. Link 1807 stony coral
 Scleractinia - Montastraeidae
Montastraea sp.
Montastraea sp. Blainville 1830 stony coral