Sunwapta Pass #2 (Carboniferous of Canada)

Where: Alberta, Canada (52.3° N, 117.3° W: paleocoordinates 2.9° S, 43.1° W)

• local area-level geographic resolution

When: Dessa Dawn Formation, Kinderhookian (358.9 - 352.0 Ma)

• The Dessa Dawn Fm. was assigned a Kinderhook age in the first interpretation. The presence of this brachiopod fauna found here throws some doubt on the original age assignment. The brachiopods show a strong affinity for Osage age. Now of the typical early Osage crinoids have been found in the Dessa Dawn, however.

• formation-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: shallow subtidal; lithified limestone

• massive, scarp forming limestone.

Primary reference: L. R. Laudon, J. M. Parks, and A. C. Spreng. 1952. Mississippian crinoid fauna from the Banff Formation, Sunwapta Pass, Alberta. Journal of Paleontology 26(4):544-575 [J. Alroy/M. Sommers/J. Alroy]more details

Purpose of describing collection: biostratigraphic analysis

PaleoDB collection 8611: authorized by John Alroy, entered by Mike Sommers on 10.08.2000

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

• brachiopods only
Strophomenata
 Strophomenida - Chonetidae
 Productida - Productidae
 Productida - Echinoconchidae
Echinoconchus cf. alternatus Norwood and Pratten 1855
Rhynchonellata
 Spiriferinida - Syringothyrididae
 Spiriferida - Spiriferidae
"Spirifer cf. grimesi" = Mesochorispira grimesi, Spirifer platynotus, Spirifer rowleyi, "Brachythyris suborbicularis" = Spirifer suborbicularis
"Spirifer cf. grimesi" = Mesochorispira grimesi Hall 1858
"Brachythyris suborbicularis" = Spirifer suborbicularis Hall 1858