International Seminar on Nuclear Electronics

Stratigraphy and Paleobiology of the Upper Cretaceous-Lower Paleogene Sediments from the Trans-Saharan Seaway in Mali

“…We have consistently tried to pro¬ vide such analysis for our Trans-Saharan Seaway fossil discoveries (Brochu et al, 2002;O'Leary et al, 2004a;Galfney et al, 2007;Hill et al, 2008;Claeson et al, 2010). As we discuss below, the paleoecology of the Trans-Saharan Seaway was that of a shallow marine ecosystem with nearshore mangroves and offshore water averaging approxi¬ mately 50 m deep (Krasheninnikov and Trofimov, 1969;Berggren, 1974). The fossil mangroves are among the oldest records of these angiosperms, which are hypothesized to have first appeared in the Late Cretaceous in several locations along the margin of the Tethys Sea (Ellison et al, 1999).…”

“…During the Late Cretaceous and early Paleogene, when global temperatures were relatively high and sea levels were elevated due to tectonic and other influences, numerous epeiric (epicontinental) seas like the Trans-Saha¬ ran Seaway developed periodically and in several locations worldwide (Huber et al, 2002;Miller et al, 2005;Swezey, 2009: 89;Haq, 2014). of this sedimentary environment and its fossils has been underway for over a century (Lapparent, 1905;Kilian, 1931;Furon, 1935;Cornet, 1943;Radier, 1959;Krasheninnikov and Trofimov, 1969;Berggren, 1974;Adeleye, 1975;Kogbe et al, 1976;Petters, 1977;Reyment, 1979;Bassot et al, 1981;Boudouresque et al, 1982;Reyment and Schobel, 1983;Reyment, 1986;Bellion et al, 1989;Pascal and Traore, 1989;Bellion et al, 1990;Lang et al, 1990;Moody and Sutcliffe, 1990;Damotte, 1991;Moody and Sutcliffe, 1991;Mateer et al, 1992;Moody and Sutcliffe, 1993;Ratcliffe and Moody, 1993;Tintant et al, 2001;Swezey, 2009). Early reports of fossil marine invertebrates collected far from modern coastlines in Mali's Tilemsi Valley (fig.…”

“…Mali had yet to be described using formal strati¬ graphic nomenclature even though they had been studied for much of the 20th century. Early reports followed standard lithostratigraphic and biostratigraphic approaches (e.g., Radier, 1959;Greigert, 1966;Bellion et al, 1989), and the broad dynamics of the observed sedimentary cycles were articulated by Petters (1977) based on translations of the findings of Russian scien¬ tists Krasheninnikov and Trofimov (1969).…”

“…Tidal Activity: Given their broad and shallow geographic expanse, epeiric seas are thought to have been microtidal, or to have had a tidal range of approximately 2 m (James and Jones, 2016: 254). Petters (1979: 753) wrote that there are few "current-induced sedi¬ Radier, 1953;Krasheninnikov and Trofimov, 1969;Berggren, 1974;Petters, 1977;Bassot et al, 1981;Reyment and Schobel, 1983;Moody and Sutcliffe, 1991;Mateer et al, 1992;Tintant et al, 2001;Swezey, 2009). The importance of (1991,1993) provided an initial lithostratigraphic nomenclature for the Maastrichtian-Eocene deposits in Mali.…”

“…Biostratigraphy has historically been and con¬ tinues to be the basis for dating these Upper Cre¬ taceous-Paleogene sediments (e.g., Radier, 1959;Krasheninnikov and Trofimov, 1969;Berggren, 1974;Petters, 1977;Reyment, 1979;Boudouresque et al, 1982;Bellion et al, 1990;O'Leary et al, 2006;Claeson et al, 2010) because the field area lacks volcanic sediments for radiometric dat¬ ing. Thus, ongoing identification of index fossils, taxa that are restricted in time, abundant, and widely distributed geographically (Levin, 2003), has been essential.…”