Allochthonous Permian micro- and macrofauna, Kamloops area, British Columbia

Abstract

The first waagenophyllid coral to be described from the Western Hemisphere has been found in Permian rocks of the "Harper Ranch Group," near Kamloops, southern British Columbia. It is Parawentzelella?(Miyagiella) johnstonae sp. nov., associated with the tabulate coral Multithecopora?larushi sp. nov., numerous brachiopods, and other fossils. The containing rocks are considered to be allochthonous, originating in the western part of the Paleopacific Tethyan Ocean or in an island-arc complex farther to the north.The outcrop yielding the fossils appears to be a stratigraphic misfit, both in age and origin. Fusulinids from adjacent areas are of Early Permian (Wolfcampian) age but those associated with the fossils indicate a Late Permian (Guadalupian) age. These conflicting dates cannot, at present, be reconciled. The Tethyan origin of the fauna also contrasts with that of surrounding rocks, which are "non-Tethyan."

Permian lyttoniid brachiopod <i>Petasmaia</i> from Akasaka, Mino Belt, central Japan

“…In this respect, the Permian brachiopod faunas of British Columbia (Yole, 1963;Logan and McGugan, 1968;Nelson and Nelson, 1985) differ from that of Akasaka, in having much Boreal elements (e.g., Waagenoconcha, Yakovlevia, Megousia, Rhynchopora and Spiriferella) and lacking Coscinophora or Petasmaia, although some Japanese researchers (e.g., Ozawa, 1987;Kobayashi, 1997) have presumed a close faunal relationship between the two regions, based on Permian fusulinid assemblages.…”

Nina Creek Group and Lay Range Assemblage, north-central British Columbia: remnants of late Paleozoic oceanic and arc terranes

“…These have been assigned to the McCloud fauna or McCloud Belt, which exhibits Tethyan, endemic, and North American characteristics (Miller et ad. 1992;Miller and Wright 1987;Stevens et al 1990;Nelson and Nelson 1985). McCloud faunas suggest an environment remote from the North American realm, but with influences from both the Tethyan and North American faunal domains.…”

Distribution and Diversity of Carboniferous and Permian Colonial Rugose Coral Faunas in Western North America: Clues for Placement of Allochthonous Terranes

“…Two colonial corals have been recovered from the McCloud Belt, both waagenophyllids of Tethyan affinity. They include a species of Miyagiella associated with several fusulinids of Tethyan affinity from the Quesnellia terrane [33], and Waagenophyllum klamathensis, which was described from the Eastern Klamath terrane [34]. The latter species also occurs in blocks in the western Klamath Mountains where it is associated with Tethyan fusulinids [34].…”