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Hadrosauriformes is a group of ornithopod dinosaurs with a rich and extensive Cretaceous track record. However, their rear foot (pes) anatomy is rather conservative. Thus, distinguishing different putative track producers from morphological differences is often impeded unless their identification is corroborated by stratigraphic and geographic distribution. On the contrary, the forefoot (manus) anatomy of hadrosauriform taxa reflects distinctive characters that, when preserved in tracks, may be critical for identifying their trackmakers. In this study, we examined three manus tracks preserved as sandstone casts, collected from Coniacian deposits of the Frontier Formation, southwestern Montana, USA. Tracks are assigned to Hadrosauriformes according to their steeply inclined morphology, functionally tridactyl condition, presence of hoof-like impressions and crescentic cross-sectional shape. Track preservation suggests that digit II could be extended medially, whereas movements for digits III and IV were limited. The dorsally curved digit II and III impressions indicate that these digits could be hyperextended. One track shows a short, spade-like ungual II impression, suggesting a closer affinity of its producer to hadrosauroid or hadrosaurid ornithopods. Osteological characters of the manus combined with track morphology can help with discerning different hadrosauriform producers, providing important implication for palaeoecological and palaeogeographical reconstructions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first record of well-preserved chondrocranial elements in mosasaurids is here described. These elements are preserved in situ in a Coniacian skull found in north-central Colombia, inside a calcareous concretion. Based on a 3D model generated from computed tomography scans, we identified elements of the nasal and orbitotemporal regions. Our descriptions show that in this specimen, the chondrocranium was reduced, more so than in most lacertilians (including their closest recent relatives, the varanids), but not as severely as in snakes or amphisbaenians (which have an extremely reduced chondrocranium and limbs). The new evidence suggests that the reduction in the chondrocranium in mosasaurids could be related to modification of their limbs when adapting to aquatic environments, but also that in mosasaurids, the olfactory tract was reduced, and the optic muscle insertions occurred mainly in the interorbital septum. The exceptional preservation of the chondrocranial elements in the specimen is facilitated by a gray mineralization covering them. XRD analysis and thin section observations indicated that this mineralization is composed of microcrystalline quartz and calcite. We infer that this material was produced by a partial silicification process promoted by lower pH microenvironments associated with bacterial breakdown of non-biomineralized tissues during early diagenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Coniacian carbonate sediments of the Iberian basin were deposited on a homoclinal ramp that grades upwards into a distally steepened ramp, with a major shoreline siliciclastic fringe. Twenty-three facies have been identified and grouped into three main depositional environments: outer, mid, and inner ramp. The last include barrier (shoal), lagoon, carbonate tidal-flat and shoreface sub-environments. The more prominent biogenic components show a mixture of sunlight-dependent phototrophic organisms (mainly large benthic foraminifera) and nutrient-dependent heterotrophic organisms (mainly rudists), with a remarkable rare occurrence of corals. Nutrients supplied from the emergent mainland probably promoted the development of heterozoan organisms. The vertical evolution of the ramp shows: a basal transgressive stage with facies retrogradation; a maximum flooding stage, and a regressive stage with aggradation and progradation of a distally steepened ramp. The presence and distribution of siliciclastics are problematic, since sands coming into the basin are likely to be rapidly and widely redistributed along the basin, taking into account the common storm, wave, and tidal processes preserved by the sedimentary facies. The presence of a clockwise NW-flowing longshore current is postulated to account for this distribution, which was likely induced by both dominant external currents around Iberia and wind-driven currents. These clockwise gyres facilitated the invertebrate dispersion into this enclosed basin and the local presence of upwelling. This could have been another source of episodic nutrient-rich waters from the deep ramp, which may have favored heterozoan development even in the more proximal and relatively shallower-water facies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ammonites, chiefly from the Upper Turonian Prionocyclus germari Zone, the Lower Coniacian part of the Forresteria (Harleites) petrocoriensis Zone, and the Lower Coniacan Peroniceras (Peroniceras) tridorsatum Zone from the Czech Republic are figured and described, including classic material originally described by Fritsch (1872-1898) and Jahn (1892, 1896). In all, 25 species are recognised, including two, Pseudojacobites sp. and Muniericeras sp., that represent genera previously not known from the area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The correlation of the Coniacian and Santonian chalks of the Anglo-Paris Basin is described on the basis of detailed lithological logs and extensive records of macrofossils and microcrinoids. In the almost complete absence of ammonites, inoceramid bivalves afford the highest resolution correlation of these stages in chalks, but their value here is limited by the absence of key genera and species, most notably in the Upper Coniacian and middle and Upper Santonian. Echinoids and other macrofossils (brachiopods, stalked crinoids, belemnites) have proved useful, but many are long-ranging or uncommon. Some marker beds, including flints and marl seams, provide useful correlations across the basin, but are locally absent. For the Upper Santonian, the stemless benthonic crinoids Uintacrinus and Marsupites provide high-resolution correlation, both within the basin and to other regions. The successions on the basin margins, in the far north of France (Nord, Pas de Calais) and the southwest (Touraine) are condensed and yield ammonites in association with important inoceramid species. The controls on sedimentation caused by sea-level changes are evaluated on a basinal and global scale, most especially for the Upper Santonian. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract—In 394 samples characterizing 266 stratigraphic levels in four Turonian–Santonian sections of the Southwestern Crimea, characteristic remanent magnetization components (ChRM) acquired at the stage of diagenesis are identified. The obtained data fix the record of the paleosecular geomagnetic variation of high amplitude (root mean square deviation S = 25.9° with a fixed cut-off angle of 45°, which is about twice as high as the model S for this latitude) in the sediments formed during ~5–6 Myr and is interpreted as anomalous behavior of the geomagnetic field in the Turonian, Coniacian, and Santonian. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous representatives of the genus Pseudodictyomitra Pessagno, 1977 were studied from the Upper Cretaceous of the Perapedhi Formation (Cyprus). The new species P. venusta sp. nov. is described. The description and stratigraphic range of P. crassa Bragina, 2013 are emended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kaijutitan maui is a basal titanosaur from the Sierra Barrosa Formation (Coniacian, Upper Cretaceous), Neuquén Basin, Patagonia Argentina. The Neuquén Basin in northwestern Patagonia, Argentina, holds the most important record of Cretaceous dinosaurs from South America. This work constitutes the first case of taphonomic and histological study of a dinosaur from the Rincón de los Sauces area. Kaijutitan is represented by cranial and postcranial materials of an adult individual of huge body size, preserved in clay sediments related to a floodplain environment. Bones were found disarticulated but associated, largely respecting their relative anatomical position. histological and diagenetic features of bones were analyzed in order to interpret the alteration degree of bone microstructure. Biostratinomic processes inferred are subaerial biodegradation, disarticulation, preburial weathering (cracking and flacking), and abrasion. Fossil-diagenetic processes comprise compaction, deformation, permineralization, and fracturing. Permineralization stages included infilling of bone cavities and fractures with sediments, iron oxides, calcite, or an iron oxide-calcite association during the burial history. Some characteristics suggest that the Kaijutitan specimen suffered weathering for a certain period of time before final burial and that biological activity in the carcass acted as a dispersal agent for the bones within the paleontological site.

Eleven ammonites species are described from the condensed phosphate beds of Mangyshlak (in north-western Kazakhstan): Lewesiceras mantelli (Wright and Wright, 1951), Subprionocyclus neptuni (Geinitz, 1849), Prionocyclus spp., Allocrioceras angustum (J. de C. Sowerby, 1850), Hyphantoceras (Hyphantoceras) reussianum (d'Orbigny, 1850), Hyphantoceras (Hyphantoceras) cf. flexuosum (Schlüter, 1872), Eubostrychoceras (Eubostrychoceras) cf. saxonicum (Schlüter, 1875), Scalarites? bohemicus (Fritsch, 1872), Sciponoceras bohemicum bohemicum (Fritsch, 1872), Scaphites geinitzii d'Orbigny, 1850, and Scaphites kieslingswaldensis Langenhan and Grundey, 1891. They provide an incomplete record that spans at maximum upper Middle Turonian to Lower Coniacian and at minimum Upper Turonian to Lower Coniacian. Associated inoceramid bivalves span an interval from upper Middle Turonian (based on the known first occurrence of Inoceramus inaequivalvis Schlüter, 1872) to the lower and middle Lower Coniacian, based on the known last occurrence of Cremnoceramus crassus inconstans (Woods, 1912), in the lower and middle parts of the Lower Coniacian. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We document diverse and well-preserved dinoflagellate cyst assemblages from Cretaceous successions in the Kullemölla 1 drill core (640.0 m–590.0 m), Vomb Trough, southern Sweden. Palynology reveals a nearshore marine environment. Dinoflagellate index taxa indicate an Albian to Coniacian age, thus spanning the Early–Late Cretaceous boundary. The lower part of the core is Albian, based on the presence of the index dinocyst taxa Pareodinia and Callaiosphaeridium asymmetricum. The First Appearance Datum (FAD) of Oligosphaeridium prolixispinosum, together with the presence of Achomosphaera ramulifera, Heterosphaeridium difficile and Oligosphaeridium pulcherrimum, reveals a Cenomanian age for the interval 635– m–617 m. The Turonian interval is characterized by an increase in the dinocysts Chatangiella spectabilis and Florentinia spp., in combination with the FAD of Senoniasphaera rotundata, whereas the youngest samples are dated to the Coniacian as defined by the appearance of Glaphyrocysta sp. We show that Cenomanian and Turonian strata are indeed represented by a relatively condensed section between 635 m and 612 m in the Kullemölla 1 core showing that the apparent hiatus recorded by calcareous microfossils elsewhere is likely a result of post-depositional dissolution of calcareous tests and limestone, a process that did not affect the organic-walled plankton. This is further supported by the presence of hardgrounds and dissolution features. This updated, detailed biostratigraphical assessment based on dinoflagellates provides a framework for correlation with zonations based on other marine fossil groups, useful, for e.g., correlating aquifers in subsurface successions and, further, provides opportunities for linking marine and continental biotas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three species belonging to the fern genus Ochotopteris E. Lebedev, including the new species O. lebedevii Herman et Domogatskaya, are revised, described and illustrated in this paper. The fossils come from Albian, Cenomanian, Turonian and Coniacian beds exposed at seven sites in North-Eastern Asia and Northern Alaska. These sites are located in the Cretaceous Arctic, with their palaeolatitudes ranging from 60° N to 80° N. The high endemism characteristic of the mid-Cretaceous Arctic flora is most probably due to adaptations in the globally distinctive Arctic conditions: the unique combination of temperatures, precipitation and the highly seasonal polar light regime. Being an endemic plant of the mid-Cretaceous Arctic, Ochotopteris ferns were adapted to a regional wet temperate to a wet warm temperate palaeoclimate accompanied by marked sunlight seasonality with a prolonged—up to several weeks—winter darkness and continuous summer daylight, also lasting for several weeks. The majority of the mid-Cretaceous Arctic plants were deciduous. Their predominant deciduousness was most probably due to the polar light seasonality: at the end of the growing season, some plants dropped their leaves or leafy shoots, whereas others—including Ochotopteris ferns—died back to rhizome systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first record of well-preserved chondrocranial elements in mosasaurids is here described. These elements are preserved in situ in a Coniacian skull found in north-central Colombia, inside a calcareous concretion. Based on a 3D model generated from computed tomography scans, we identified elements of the nasal and orbitotemporal regions. Our descriptions show that in this specimen, the chondrocranium was reduced, more so than in most lacertilians (including their closest recent relatives, the varanids), but not as severely as in snakes or amphisbaenians (which have an extremely reduced chondrocranium and limbs). The new evidence suggests that the reduction in the chondrocranium in mosasaurids could be related to modification of their limbs when adapting to aquatic environments, but also that in mosasaurids, the olfactory tract was reduced, and the optic muscle insertions occurred mainly in the interorbital septum. The exceptional preservation of the chondrocranial elements in the specimen is facilitated by a gray mineralization covering them. XRD analysis and thin section observations indicated that this mineralization is composed of microcrystalline quartz and calcite. We infer that this material was produced by a partial silicification process promoted by lower pH microenvironments associated with bacterial breakdown of non-biomineralized tissues during early diagenesis.

Numerous representatives of the genus Patellula Kozlova, 1972 were studied from the Upper Cretaceous deposits of Perapedhi, Kannaviou and Lefkara formations (Cyprus). Two new species were described: Patellula mangaleniensis sp. nov. and Patellula solaris sp. nov. The species P. mangaleniensis was found in Crimea within the Afens perapediensis Zone (upper part of the Upper Santonian). The earliest representatives of Patellula euessceei Empson-Morin, 1981 were for the first time found in the Upper Cretaceous of Crimea, within the Actinomma (?) belbekense Zone (upper part of the Middle Turonian–Upper Turonian), while the latest representatives of P. euessceei were for the first time detected in the Maastrichtian of Cyprus. The stratigraphic ranges of Patellila euessceei and the genus Patellula are expanded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Coniacian-Santonian series in the Aures Mountains of northeastern Algeria is characterized by marly-dominated sedimentation processes. This study aims to comprehensively investigate this series by combining lithostratigraphic and biostratigraphic data. The unique paleogeographic position of the Aures basin supports the co-occurrence of diverse paleontological contents in the Upper Cretaceous sediments. The methodology employed in this study includes a detailed bio-lithostratigraphic analysis to subdivide the Coniacian-Santonian series into two distinct sets. The first set comprises alternating marl-limestone units that exhibit a high fossil concentration from the Coniacian age, while the second set mainly consists of marly sediments corresponding to the Santonian age. The results obtained from this study highlight the geographical distribution of litho-biostratigraphic characteristics and reveal the presence of two formations. The lower formation is characterized by carbonated marls intercalated with limestone banks, containing fossils of Peroniceras (Tissotia tissoto) from the Coniacian age. Meanwhile, the upper formation is predominantly marly and indicates the Santonian age by displaying fossils of Palcenticeras polypsis. Furthermore, a biostratigraphic analysis focused on foraminifers allows for the subdivision of the Coniacian-Santonian series in the Aures Mountains into three distinct biozones. The first biozone corresponds to the lower Coniacian age and is identified by the presence of Dicarinella primitiva. The second biozone represents the middle to upper coniacian age and contains Dicarinella concavata fossils. Finally, the third biozone, belonging to the Santonian age, is marked by the occurrence of Dicarinella asymetrica. The boundary between the Coniacian and Santonian series in the Aures Mountains is characterized by the first appearance of Dicarinella asymetrica and Palcenticeras polypsis species. This multidisciplinary study provides valuable insights into the litho-biostratigraphic characteristics and geographical distribution of the Coniacian-Santonian series in the Aures Mountains. The findings make a significant contribution to a better understanding of sedimentary processes and the paleontological content within this region during the Upper Cretaceous period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abelisaurids are medium–large‐sized theropod dinosaurs that were predominant in the carnivorous fauna during the Late Cretaceous of Gondwana. These predators are abundant in the Cretaceous fossil strata of Patagonia, which yield the best record for this group. In the Late Cretaceous, abelisaurids appear in almost all regions of Gondwana and in all stages, except for the Coniacian, in which they are globally unknown. Here we describe a new abelisaurid, Elemgasem nubilus gen. et sp. nov., from the Portezuelo Formation (Turonian–Coniacian), Patagonia, Argentina. The palaeohistology of the appendicular bones of Elemgasem shows that the holotype was a subadult individual, but had achieved sexual maturity. This taxon is based on several axial and appendicular elements, and is diagnosed by the presence of a marked pattern of rugosity on the lateral surface of the fibula and a dorsoventrally deep lateral wall of the calcaneum. Moreover, the posterior caudal vertebrae have a morphology slightly different from any other abelisaurid. Elemgasem nubilus is recovered as an unstable taxon within Brachyrostra, given that it was recovered as sister taxon of Furileusauria or in several positions within this clade. Despite the problematic phylogenetic relationships of Elemgasem nubilus, it is important because it is the first abelisaurid from the Turonian–Coniacian interval and it increases the diversity of this theropod family at a time of marked turnover in the tetrapod fauna of South America, global climate change, and mass extinction events recorded worldwide in the marine realm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 2140 01T1 borehole sampling the Late Cretaceous non-marine strata of the Klikov Formation in the central part of the Třeboň Basin in southern Bohemia provided ~ 70 m thick alluvial succession composed of alternating sandstone and mudstone intervals that overlays deeply weathered crystalline basement. The mudstone interval in the lower part of the Klikov Formation is separated by sandy layers into several 2-4 m thick fining-upward units. The sharp-based sandy layers with fusain, carbonized stems and rip-up clasts of underlying mudstone are interpreted as avulsion deposits. They grade upwards into heterolithic sand-silt sequence and mottled massive mudstone with burrows, rhizohalos and variably developed pedogenic features. Such cyclic arrangement probably reflects autogenic processes on distal floodplain with episodic deposition and upward increasing subaerial exposition and pedogenic overprint. In the middle to upper parts of the Klikov Formation up to 6 m thick channel sandbodies with sharp erosional bases cutting into the underlying laminated sand-silt heteroliths of channel levee deposits occur. The thickness of the single-storey sandbodies corresponds usually to c. 2 m which suggests up to 3 m deep channels during bankfull discharge. The thicker multi-storey sandbodies record channel amalgamation on the alluvial ridge or shallow paleovalley fillings. The sandbodies grade upwards to massive mudstones of abandoned channel fills and floodplain deposits. These floodplain units are up to 8 m thick and consist of variegated massive mudstones interrupted by discrete up to 1 m thick fining upward layers of rippled sandstone representing crevasse splay deposits. Depositional context including preserved levee deposits, abandoned channel fillings and floodplain finegrained deposits suggests rather higher sinuosity of the formative rivers. Palaeosol profiles represent pedogenically modified floodplain fines with gradational bases and sharp erosive top surfaces. At least 10 palaeosols were identified in the measured section, forming mostly discrete profiles up to 2 m thick consisting of several B-horizons that differ in the degree of the soil structure development, colour, mottling, grain size, presence of clay hypocoatings and bioturbation index. The most common Bw horizons form lower parts of the profiles and have no or only a weakly developed angular blocky structure (ABS). The typical mottling is caused by a hierarchical system of vermicular greenish-grey reduction rhizohalos, that may be filled by silt to sand or illuviated clay hypocoatings and probably follow the original plant root system. Some patches have diffuse orange rims of iron oxides, probably represented by goethite. Mudstone of Bsst horizons displays well-developed ABS with rare wedge-shaped peds and contains a number of illuviated clay skins and redox depletions. Vertic features like fine cracks filled by sand are common, and slickensides with clay hypocoatings occur rarely. Mudstones of Bt horizons contain a number of illuviated clay hypocoatings filling root channels or interpedal cracks, while the Bss horizons exhibit well-developed ABS with slickensides and contain a number of vertical cracks filled by sandy grains. Palaeosol profiles represent mainly argillisols and vertic argillisols with transitions to argillic vertisols. Poorly developed argillic to vertic protosols are also common. Palaeosol profiles differ mainly in the degree of structural development/maturity, which is given by various lengths of exposition to similar climatic conditions. Vertical distribution of palaeosols reflects their position in the alluvial landscape with locally specific hydromorphic conditions rather than a distinct climatic trend. Most of palaeosols exhibits downprofile translocation of clay (illuviation) leading to the formation of argillic horizon, which typically develop on stabilized landscape in humid climate with seasonal moisture deficit. Seasonal water table fluctuations are also evident from the presence of vertic and redoximorphic features. Rather low evapotranspiration during arid periods indicated by the absence of calcium carbonate accumulation and weakly developed vertic features may most probably reflect short-lived arid seasons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The results of integrated study of the Turonian–Coniacian sediments from the Abinsky district (Northwest Caucasus), which are represented by a rhythmic terrigenous-carbonate sequence, are discussed. The use of microfacial, X-ray diffraction, isotope, and micropaleontological analyses allowed us to reveal important changes in abiotic and biotic evolution during this interval. The peculiarities of carbonate sedimentation, as well as changes in the composition of foraminiferal assemblages, helped to establish fluctuations in the relative sea level, whereas isotopic studies assisted in defining climatic fluctuations. During the periods of accumulation of carbonate and clayey material, the area was occupied by a relatively deep-water open-sea basin with normal salinity. In the background of high temperatures, cooling pulses are also recorded within the studied interval. The position of the Turonian–Coniacian boundary in the section is revised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Abderaz Formation was analyzed from four stratigraphic sections (Qaleh-Zo, Abderaz village, Mozduran pass (type section of the formation), and Chahchahe) in awest to east transect of theKopeh-Dagh Basin. TheAbderaz Formation is composed of light gray shale and marl alternated with limestone rich in echinoids and inoceramids. Planktonic foraminifera were studied in detail in order to determine the Turonian-Coniacian boundary with more accuracy and to highlight bio-events around this boundary in theKopeh-Dagh sedimentary basin. Nineteen planktonic foraminifera species belonging to 12 genera were identified in the Turonian-Coniacian transition interval. Four planktonic foraminifera biozones are recognized in all studied sections; they are 1) Whiteinella archaeocretacea PartialRange Zone, 2) Helvetoglobotruncana helvetica Total Range Zone, 3) Marginotruncana sigali-Dicarinella primitiva Partial Range Zone, and 4) Dicarinella concavata Interval Zone. In all studied sections, the Turonian-Coniacian boundary is placed at the base of the Dicarinella concavata Interval Zone. As in our previous work, we confirm that the base of the Coniacian stage in the Kopeh-Dagh sedimentary basin is distinguished based on the first occurrences of Dicarinella concavata, Pseudotextularia nuttalli, and Contusotruncana fornicata, and on the last occurrences of Dicarinella imbricata, Marginotruncana paraconcavata and Marginotruncana schneegansi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The continuous Turonian–Coniacian succession, exposed in the Shapsug quarry (northwestern Caucasus) composed of rhythmic carbonate strata of the hemipelagic and pelagic type, have been studied comprehensively. Foraminiferal zones, corresponding to the zonation recognized in the Coniacian Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP), have been identified. Chemostratigraphic (isotope) studies determine the levels of abiotic events traced in this section and in the GSSP for the base of the Coniacian Stage. The Shapsug section may be proposed a possible auxiliary section of the base of the Coniacian for the Russian Federation. • The Natukhay Formation of the Shapsug quarry is the continuous Turonian–Coniacian succession in Caucasus. • It may serve as a possible auxiliary section of the GSSP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The vertical ranges of inocerams, belemnites, ammonites, echinoids, sponges, and brachiopods from lithologically monotonous carbonate rocks have been studied in the Kommunar section. The results obtained in the study of macrofaunistic assemblages confirm and complement the benthic foraminifera research data of distinguished units of the middle–upper Turonian, Coniacian, lower and upper Santonian, and lower Campanian basal horizon. The stratigraphically full upper Coniacian–lower Santonian interval in the Kommunar section has been identified in the Volga region for the first time. The defined macro- and microfaunistic biostratigraphic units have been correlated and discussed. The Boreal–Tethyan magnetochronological correlation of the Santonian–Campanian makes it possible to conclude that the Santonian lower boundary in different regions differs by about a million years, which is comparable to the duration of the Santonian. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Besen, R.M., Achilles, M., Alivernini, M., Voigt, T., Frenzel, P. and Struck, U. 2022. Stratigraphy and palaeoenvironments in the upper Turonian to lower Coniacian of the Saxonian Cretaceous Basin (Germany) - insights from calcareous and agglutinated foraminifers. Acta Geologica Polonica, 72 (2), 159-186. Warszawa. Upper Turonian to lower Coniacian marls of the Strehlen Formation of the Graupa 60/1 core were investigated for their foraminiferal content to add stratigraphical and palaeoenvironmental information about the transitional facies zone of the Saxonian Cretaceous Basin. Further comparison with foraminiferal faunas of the Brausnitzbach Marl (Schrammstein Formation) were carried out to clarify its relationship to the marls of the Graupa 60/1 core. Tethyan agglutinated marker species for the late Turonian to early Coniacian confirm the proposed age of the marls of the Graupa 60/1 core and the Brausnitzbach Marl. The palaeoenvironment of the marls reflects middle to outer shelf conditions. The maximum flooding zones of genetic sequences TUR6, TUR7 and CON1 could be linked to acmes of foraminiferal species and foraminiferal morphogroups. In general, a rise of the relative sea-level can be recognised from the base to the top of the marls of the Graupa 60/1 core. While agglutinated foraminiferal assemblages suggest a generally high organic matter influx and variable but high productivity in the Graupa 60/1 core, the Brausnitzbach Marl deposition was characterized by moderate productivity and a generally shallower water depth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Late Cretaceous plants from the North Sudetic Basin (Lower Silesia, south-western Poland) are reviewed on the basis of megaflora from 17 localities (270 identifiable specimens), mesoflora from two localities, and microflora from four localities. Major sites are Rakowice Małe and Bolesławiec. Eight megafloral assemblages are distinguished (Assemblage 1, Turonian; Assemblages 2, 3, lower–middle Coniacian; Assemblages 4, 5, upper Coniacian?–lower Santonian?; Assemblages 6–8, lower–middle Santonian); the bulk of the palaeoflora is from Assemblages 4–6 and 8. Megaflora consists of 29 taxa (6 ferns, 4 conifers, and 19 angiosperms). Geinitzia reichenbachii is the most common species. Dryophyllum westerhausianum (Richter, 1904) Halamski and Kvaček comb. nov. is a trifoliolate leaf re-interpreted as a representative of Fagales. Three species of Dewalquea are distinguished: Dewalquea haldemiana, Dewalquea insignis, and Dewalquea aff. gelindenensis. Platanites willigeri Halamski and Kvaček sp. nov. is characterised by trifoliolate leaves, the median leaflet of which is ovate, unlobed, with a serrate margin, and cuneate base. Palaeocommunities inferred from the megafossil record include: a back swamp forest dominated by Geinitzia, with abundant ferns; a Dryophyllum-dominated riparian forest; a forest with Dewalquea and Platanites willigeri possibly located in the marginal part of the alluvial plain; dunes with D. haldemiana and Konijnenburgia; a fern savanna with patches of Pinus woodlands. Palynoassemblage A from the Nowogrodziec Member, studied mostly at Rakowice Małe and Żeliszów, consists of 126 taxa, including 105 terrestrial palynomorphs (54 bryophyte, lycophyte, and pteridophyte spores, 16 gymnosperms, 35 angiosperms). The mega- and mesofossil records are dominated by angiosperms; the palynoassemblages are dominated by ferns. Palaeocommunities represented solely by the microfossil record are halophytic (with Frenelopsis and unconfirmed presence of Nypa) and pioneer vegetation. Palaeocommunities are intermediate in general character between those pre-dating the Cretaceous Terrestrial Revolution and modern, angiosperm- dominated vegetation. In comparison to older plant assemblages from contiguous areas laurophylls are much rarer; this might correspond to a real phenomenon of exclusion of lauroids from Santonian riparian forests. The studied assemblage is more similar to younger palaeofloras than to older ones; this might be interpreted as stabilisation of communities after a period of pronounced change related to the rise to dominance of the angiosperms. In contrast to widespread endemism among vertebrates of the European Archipelago, the plant cover consists mostly of species that are widely distributed.

Nine shark teeth were collected at Arnager in the south-western part of the island of Bornholm (Baltic Sea, Denmark). They all come from the basal conglomerate of the Coniacian (Upper Cretaceous) Arnager Limestone Formation and belong to the genus Ptychodus Agassiz, 1834. Three different species are identified: P. altior, P. latissimus and P. mammillaris, which were hitherto unknown in Denmark. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The results of microfaunistic (benthic foraminifers) and magnetostratigraphic (paleomagnetic and petromagnetic) studies obtained in the lower part of the Upper Cretaceous deposits of the Kommunar section are presented. On the basis of the study of benthic foraminifers, the section consists of middle and upper Turonian, Coniacian, lower and upper Santonian, and basal horizon of the lower Campanian. In addition, all Coniacian zones and subzones of the East European Platform have been established. These data confirm the importance of the Kommunar section as a stratotype of the Volsk Formation (Coniacian of the Middle and Lower Volga region). In the Kommunar section, the Turonian and Coniacian are characterized by a normal polarity, and the Santonian and lower Campanian are characterized by a reversed polarity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An almost continuous layer of Upper Cretaceous deposits up to 1000 m thick was probably deposited across much of SW England. Phases of uplift in the late Cretaceous and early Cenozoic, each of which was followed by extensive erosion and dissolution, resulted in the removal of all except a few outliers of Chalk Group that crop out in east Devon and south Somerset. Those on the Devon coast between Sidmouth and Lyme Regis are some of the best exposed Cenomanian to early Coniacian successions in NW Europe and include the most westerly chalks preserved onshore in England. They form an integral part of the Dorset and East Devon World Heritage Site. In contrast to the Chalk of much of southern England, the older formations in Devon, the Beer Head Limestone, Holywell Nodular Chalk and New Pit Chalk, show marked lateral lithological variations that result from a combination of penecontemporaneous movements on local faults and relatively shallow-water environments close to the western edge of the Chalk depositional basin. The younger parts of the succession, the Lewes Nodular Chalk and Seaford Chalk Formations, comprise chalks that do not appear to have been greatly affected by penecontemporaneous fault movements. These formations include lithological marker beds that have been correlated with marker beds in the Sussex type area. The principal sedimentary breaks in the Devon succession cannot be correlated with confidence with eustatic changes in sea level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Plant fossils collected by O.V. Grinenko on the right bank of the Vstrechnaya River in the Zyryanka coal basin (Northeastern Russia) in 1989 have been studied. The Vstrechnaya taphoflora includes 25 species of fossil plants assigned to ferns, cycadaleans, ginkgoaleans, leptostrobaleans, conifers, gymnosperms of an uncertain systematic position, and angiosperms. The presence of advanced conifer taxa and angiosperm plants in the Vstrechnaya taphoflora enables the determination of its age as Late Cretaceous, most probably Turonian and Coniacian. The significant difference between the Vstrechnaya floristic assemblage, as well as the Vstrechnaya flora as a whole, and the Buor-Kemus Formation flora enabled us to regard the plant-bearing sediments as an independent local stratigraphic unit, the Vstrechnaya Formation. The Vstrechnaya taphoflora includes plants that probably formed distinct Mesophytic and Cenophytic plant communities. The composition of the former was inherited from the more ancient, Early Cretaceous, floras of the region; the latter include advanced conifer taxa and angiosperm plants and thus reflect the gradual invasion of the evolutionarily new Late Cretaceous vegetation into the continental interior of Northeastern Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Late Cretaceous plants from the North Sudetic Basin (Lower Silesia, south-western Poland) are reviewed on the basis of megaflora from 17 localities (270 identifiable specimens), mesoflora from two localities, and microflora from four localities. Major sites are Rakowice Małe and Bolesławiec. Eight megafloral assemblages are distinguished (Assemblage 1, Turonian; Assemblages 2, 3, lower-middle Coniacian; Assemblages 4, 5, upper Coniacian?-lower Santonian?; Assemblages 6-8, lower-middle Santonian); the bulk of the palaeoflora is from Assemblages 4-6 and 8. Megaflora consists of 29 taxa (6 ferns, 4 conifers, and 19 angiosperms). Geinitzia reichenbachii is the most common species. Dryophyllum westerhausianum (Richter, 1904) Halamski and Kvaček comb. nov. is a trifoliolate leaf re-interpreted as a representative of Fagales. Three species of Dewalquea are distinguished: Dewalquea haldemiana, Dewalquea insignis, and Dewalquea aff. gelindenensis. Platanites willigeri Halamski and Kvaček sp. nov. is characterised by trifoliolate leaves, the median leaflet of which is ovate, unlobed, with a serrate margin, and cuneate base. Palaeocommunities inferred from the megafossil record include: a back swamp forest dominated by Geinitzia, with abundant ferns; a Dryophyllum-dominated riparian forest; a forest with Dewalquea and Platanites willigeri possibly located in the marginal part of the alluvial plain; dunes with D. haldemiana and Konijnenburgia; a fern savanna with patches of Pinus woodlands. Palynoassemblage A from the Nowogrodziec Member, studied mostly at Rakowice Małe and Żeliszów, consists of 126 taxa, including 105 terrestrial palynomorphs (54 bryophyte, lycophyte, and pteridophyte spores, 16 gymnosperms, 35 angiosperms). The mega- and mesofossil records are dominated by angiosperms; the palynoassemblages are dominated by ferns. Palaeocommunities represented solely by the microfossil record are halophytic (with Frenelopsis and unconfirmed presence of Nypa) and pioneer vegetation. Palaeocommunities are intermediate in general character between those pre-dating the Cretaceous Terrestrial Revolution and modern, angiosperm- dominated vegetation. In comparison to older plant assemblages from contiguous areas laurophylls are much rarer; this might correspond to a real phenomenon of exclusion of lauroids from Santonian riparian forests. The studied assemblage is more similar to younger palaeofloras than to older ones; this might be interpreted as stabilisation of communities after a period of pronounced change related to the rise to dominance of the angiosperms. In contrast to widespread endemism among vertebrates of the European Archipelago, the plant cover consists mostly of species that are widely distributed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many tracemakers use different materials to line their burrows. Koptichnus rasmussenae n. igen. n. isp. is lined with cuboid fragments of siliceous sponges, interpreted as evidence of harvesting and trimming material to reinforce the burrow wall. The act of trimming, as evidenced in the polyhedral faces, is considered to be behaviourally significant. The tracemaker was evidently a lobster-like crustacean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most of the Okhotsk–Chukotka volcanogenic belt fossil floras differ significantly in systematic composition from the floras of coastal lowlands of the adjoining Anadyr–Koryak subregion dated by faunistic remains. That is the reason why its comparison is so difficult and, accordingly, why it is complicated to establish the age of volcanic formations. The only exception in this situation is a Chingandzha flora that is reliably compared with coastal floras and is dated to the Turonian–Coniacian. New data on the Chingandzha flora systematic composition make it possible to clarify its age. This flora shows the most similarity to a Kaivayam flora of the Anadyr–Koryak subregion; thus, it has to be dated to the Coniacian. The stratigraphic setting of the locations of the Chingandzha flora fossils makes it possible to date three lower strata of volcanites in the external zone of the Okhotsk-Chukotka volcanogenic belt to the Coniacian. During medium-scale geological mapping, younger formations were erroneously assigned to them in some cases. The Chingandzha flora could have preserved its coastal appearance and penetrated far into the continent along a lowland that probably originated in a linear zone of tectonic disturbances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A shell bed in the upper part of the Anaipadi Formation of the Trichiopoly Group near the villages of Pilimisai and Koothur in the Cauvery Basin, Tamil Nadu, south India yielded an abundant ammonite fauna assigned to the lower part of the Kossmaticeras (Kossmaticeras) theobaldianum Zone and to the lower Coniacian. The ammonite association of this interval in the Cauvery Basin is dominated by Mesopuzosia , Damesites , and Kossmaticeras (Kossmaticeras) species. The fauna is: Phylloceras (Hypophylloceras) masiaposensis (Collignon, 1956), Phyllopachyceras sp. , Tetragonites epigonus Kossmat, 1895, Gaudryceras (Gaudryceras) mite (Hauer, 1866), Mesopuzosia gaudama (Forbes, 1846), Damesites sugata (Forbes, 1846), Kossmaticeras (Kossmaticeras) theobaldianum (Stoliczka, 1865), K. (K.) recurrens (Kossmat, 1897, K. (K.) jonesi Collignon, 1965, Menabonites anapadensis (Kossmat, 1898), Lewesiceras sp., Placenticeras cf. kaffrarium Etheridge, 1904, Glyptoxoceras sp., and Scalarites sp. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To study the Neoflabellina bioevents, 132 samples were collected from the middle of the Abderaz Formation (24-m-long), in the Kopeh-Dagh Basin, Iran. The studied interval represents the lower part of the Dicarinella asymetrica zone placed in the uppermost Coniacian and lower Santonian. The presence ofNeoflabellinidswas recorded in the interval considered here in the following six geological sections: Shorab, Padeha village,Muzduran,Abderaz village,Qarehso, and Hajgelichkhan. In the present study the inoceramid species Platyceramus undulatoplicatus (Roemer), which defines the Coniacian/Santonian (C/S) boundary, was not found. The occurrence of a Neoflabellinid bioevent with the First Occurrence Datum (FoD) of pillbox morphotypes, including Globotruncana linneiana and Dicarinella asymetrica, is considered to be a sufficient proxy for the C/S boundary. Four species of Neoflabellina were observed in this study: Neoflabellina praecursor, Neoflabellina gibbera, Neoflabellina praerugosa, and Neoflabellina suturalis, along with several indeterminate forms. Neoflabellina gibbera and Neoflabellina praecursor occur for the first time at the C/S boundary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The most stratigraphically representative section of Turonian–Coniacian in the right-bank part of the Volga region is found at the Kamennyi Brod-1 section (Olkhovka district of Volgograd oblast). The subdivision of carbonate rocks into zones is based on the complexes of benthic foraminifera and other accompanying groups of invertebrates. Regressive-transgressive tendencies in the evolution of the Turonian–Coniacian basin is also reflected in the quantitative ratio between benthic and planktonic foraminifera. The earlier unknown representatives of Turonian and Coniacian marine biota are revealed: silicon sponges, crinoids, starfish, brittle stars, and brachiopods. The magnetostratigraphic (magnetopolar and petromagnetic) characteristic of the section is obtained, and the magnetic zone of anomalous polarity is revealed against the background of normal polarity (N). It is supposed that anomalous directions of magnetization represent the stabilized vector sum of oppositely directed components, one of which (corresponding to reverse polarity) is the primary one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the interpretation of tectono-sedimentary evolution of the West Sudetic area (central Europe) during the latest Turonian–middle Coniacian as recorded by deposits of the NW part of the Bohemian Cretaceous Basin. This paper provides the first strontium isotope curve from the Upper Cretaceous of the Bohemian Massif. The exact stratigraphic framework was provided by combining of macrofossils (inoceramids) and calcareous nannofossils. Six inoceramid zones were distinguished, from Cremnoceramus deformis erectus Zone to Volviceramus koeneni Zone. Biostratigraphic data were combined with XRF curves and geophysical logs which allowed for correlation of several key sections within the study area. Using the genetic stratigraphy, contrasting parts of the depositional system interpreted as nearshore to deltaic were successfully correlated. Six elementary sequences were defined within the studied succession. These are TUR 7 (latest Turonian), backstepping, aggradation-dominated, with a short-term progradational episode and CON 1 to 5 (early–middle Coniacian), deposited during a period of increasing depth through time. The progradational pattern is most typical for the CON 4 sequence. Intensified sediment supply resulting in pronounced progradation is also evidenced by increased siliciclastic influx to the offshore zone and resulting changes in calcareous nannofossil assemblages. Three major transgressive events are interpreted at the base of sequences: (1) CON 1 (close to the Turonian–Coniacian boundary); (2) CON 2 (near FO of Cremnoceramus crassus crassus); (3) CON 5. The transgressions were predominantly driven by basin-floor subsidence, although the transgression at the Turonian–Coniacian boundary and at the base of sequence CON 2 likely carried a component of eustatic sea-level rise. The accelerated basin-floor tectonic subsidence and source uplift in the NW part of BCB falls within the early Ilsede phase of the Late Cretaceous ('Subhercynian') deformation of the Alpine foreland. • Integrated stratigraphic model of the Coniacian of NW Bohemian Cretaceous Basin. • The first 87Sr/86Sr isotope data from the Bohemian Cretaceous Basin. • Sedimentary record evidences changing tectonic regime during the Coniacian. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new species of the genus Schlueterella Wiedmann, 1962 is here described. Twenty specimens of this heteromorph ammonoid were collected in northern Coahuila, Mexico. Schlueterella stinnesbecki n. sp. seems to have been an endemic form in the late Turonian-early Coniacian. This is the oldest definite record of the genus and a basal form in its evolution away from Neocrioceras. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the framework of cooperation between the Austrian Geological Survey which has financially supported field works, Czech Geological Survey and the Institute of Geology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, v. v. i., a multidisciplinary research of Mesozoic deposits has been carried out by authors of this paper over the last thirty years in the Northern Calcareous Alps including the Gosau Group. Although the biostratigraphy is here based on macrofauna, the microfossils helped to clarify both relative age of deposits and their paleoenvironment. The "Gosau of Wörschach-Liezen" is situated in the mountain ranges north of the Enns valley (Fig. 1) between the village of Wörschach and the district town Liezen in Styria (Steiermark). This area of the Northern Calcareous Alps is tectonically strongly disturbed and only isolated outcrops of Gosau Group sediments of the Coniacian to Paleogene age overlay the Triassic carbonate rocks (Fig. 2). The lower part of the Gosau Group sequence is represented by several hundreds of meters thick conglomerates of the Kreuzgraben Formation with isolated intercalations of bedded sandstones and grey sandy marls, which Pober (1984) called the "Schneckengraben Formation". Sediments locally show a rich but poorly preserved brackish and/or marine macrofauna, that provides only insufficient stratigraphic data. Janoschek (1968) and Pober (1984) report finds of the ammonite Protexanites bourgeoisi (De Grossouvre), which confirm the Upper Coniacian age. Wille- Janoschek in Janoschek (1968) mentioned in the washed material indeterminable Robuli, miliolids, ostracods, small gastropods, bivalves, echinoderms, fish teeth and coal particles. However, Pober (l.c.) did not investigate any microfossils. Detailed studies of microfauna, palynomorphs and calcareous nannofossils provided further stratigraphic and paleoenvironmental data. Samples WW1-WW5 taken at the classic locality "Schneckengraben" and its surrounding outcrops are represented mostly by green-grey sandy claystones and grey marlstones. Samples WW2, WW3 and WW5 provided tests of foraminifers. Relatively rich benthic foraminifers with Gaudryina pyramidata, G. rugosa, Tritaxia tricarinata, Lenticulina sp., Stensioeina exsculpta, Quadrimorphina allomorphinoides, and Dorothia conula were observed only in sample WW5. Sample WW3 contains scarce foraminifers of genera Quinqueloculina and Spirillina that tolerate possible changes in water salinity. Minor and poorly preserved calcareous nannofossils of an amount of 1-3 fragments per 10 fields of view of the microscope were found in samples WW1, WW2 and WW5. Species Micula staurophora, zone UC10 indicates the Middle Coniacian age. Presence of nannofossils confirms the marine environment. The majority of collected sediments (samples WW1-WW4) included numerous well-preserved phytoclasts of yellow, brown and black color shades, palynomorphs with the predominance of angiosperm pollen of the Normapolles group, small reticulate tricolpates, fern spores, conifer pollen, fragments of dinoflagellate cysts, and acritarchs. Some palynomorphs were filled with pyrite crystals that resulted in their corrosion. Genus Oculopollis (Fig. 3-1) proves the Coniacian-Maastrichtian age. Palynomorphs were not found in sample WW5. If present, both foraminifers and calcareous nannofossils prove the Coniacian. Palynomorphs from WW1 and WW2 samples correspond to the Coniacian age, while those from WW3 and WW4 samples point to a wider stratigraphic range - the Senonian. The occurrence of Micula staurophora (Fig. 4-1, 2) indicates the nannoplankton zone UC10, the base of which is corellated with the Middle Coniacian (Burnett 1998). The presence of microfossils implies a shallow sea of common salinity near the land. Benthic foraminifers and nannofossils, and the absence of palynomorphs in WW5 sample show a deeper marine environment. An exception represents sample WW4 where only sporomorphs were found. Green algae Chomotriletes minor (Fig. 3-3) emphasize here fresh waters and swamps. Based on these data, the paleoenvironment can be interpreted as a shallow water near the land with fluctuating salinity and/or a gradual sea water level rising (Fig. 5). The presence of freshwater algae Chomotriletes together with dinocysts of genus Chatangiella occurring in shallow marine environment, and pollen grains Classopollis classoides characterizing the marshes deposits support the coastal waters. The above interpretations point to a marine transgression. Stratigraphic age: Middle Coniacian with possible extension to the Santonian. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new collection of plant fossils from the Derevyannye Gory Formation of the New Siberia Island collected in 2016 was studied. Thirty species of fossil plants attributed to liverworts, ferns, ginkgoaleans, conifers, and angiosperms were identified and illustrated; 16 of these species were not previously encountered among the New Siberian flora. A new angiosperm species Dalembia (?) gracilis Herman was described. New Siberian flora is characterized by a moderately rich systematic composition, by the predominance of conifers and angiosperms, by the dominance of the large-leaved platanoids and the species of the genus Trochodendroides among angiosperms, by the predominance of dentate-margined angiosperms, by the rarity of entire-margined forms, and by the total absence of cycadaleans and bennettitaleans. The age of the New Siberian flora corresponds to the Turonian–Coniacian interval; most likely, the flora should be dated to the Turonian. Plants of the New Siberian flora experienced a warm-temperate humid climate with warm summer, mild frost-free winter, and insignificant seasonality in precipitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Siliceous sponges are common fossils in Turonian-Coniacian deposits of Central Europe. Despite numerous studies, the sponge fauna of this age is not sufficiently recognised, due to common poor preservation of the sponge skeletons. The presented taxonomic description of 16 species belonging to Hexactinellida and six species of Demospongiae from Opole area (southern Poland) aims to complete the knowledge of the taxonomic diversity of sponge fauna from the Late Cretaceous basins of Central Europe. Two new species of Hexactinellida – Centrosia clavata sp. nov. and Crateromorpha opolensis sp. nov. and one new species of Demospongiae – Pachastrella rara sp. nov. have been described. The lyssacinosid genus Crateromorpha was previously known only from Recent records. The extant genus Pachastrella , first documented in the Cretaceous based on a bodily preserved specimen, is a representative of non-lithistid demosponges, which are rarely noted in fossil assemblages. The Opole region is the second region in Europe from which the following Turonian/Coniacian species are known: Placotrema cretaceum , Polyptycha becksioides and Pyrospongia vrbaei. The species Eurete halli , Calyptrella bertae , Sporadoscinia micrommata and Theneopsis steinmanni are reported from Turonian strata for the first time. The vertical distribution of sponge assemblages in the Turonian-Coniacian of the Opole Basin reflects the general pattern of sponge distribution in the Circum Sudetic-Trap Basins. The occurence of the aforementioned sponge assemblages has been discussed in light of global sea level changes noted in Circum Sudetic-Trap basins and other Cretaceous basins of epicontinental Europe. Highlights • Upper Turonian-Lower Coniacian deposits of the Opole Basin contains one of the richest sponge assemblages in Europe. • Twenty one taxa are described, including three new speciesof Lyssacinosida, Lychniscosidaand non-lithistid demosponges. • The taxonomical composition Turonian and Coniacian of the sponge assemblage from various basins show great differentiation. • The hexactinellid sponge distribution of the CircumSudetic-Trap Basins correlates with transgressive events. • The middle Turonian sponge fauna crisis in CircumSudetic-Trap Basinscould be caused by extremely oligotrophic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The benthic macrofaunas of the Upper Cretaceous chalk of NW Europe show characteristically high species‐richnesses and commonly high densities. They are predominated by bivalves, brachiopods, polychaetes, echinoids, crinoids, asteroids, sponges and towards the end of the Cretaceous also by bryozoans. The mound‐bedded chalk of the Coniacian Arnager Limestone on the island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea, Denmark, differs from this general picture. It was deposited on a small fault block adjacent to the main Bornholm block, which was emerged during much of the Mesozoic and thus occupied a much more proximal position than most other Upper Cretaceous chalks in NW Europe. The Arnager Limestone contains a unique, exceptionally rich and well‐preserved fauna of mainly hexactinellid, lyssacinosan sponges. The low mud‐mounds are interpreted as formed by baffling and trapping of fine sediment particles by the dense sponge thickets. In contrast, the associated shelly fauna is unusually sparse, of very low richness and extremely low density, except for inoceramid bivalves. It represents a strongly depauparated version of the shelly faunas of contemporaneous chalks in NW Europe. The rare specimens of non‐inoceramid shelly species are interpreted to represent occasional successful spatfalls of benthic species from the deeper‐water chalk farther offshore in the Baltic area. The sponge mud‐mounds of the Arnager Limestone show remarkable resemblances with modern sponge mounds recently discovered on the continental shelf of western Canada. They form an important link between the well‐known older Mesozoic sponge mud‐mounds or 'reefs' and the modern mounds and are among the youngest examples of Mesozoic sponge mounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lower (but not lowermost) part of the Upper Cretaceous Anaipadi Formation of the Trichinopoly Group in the area between Kulatur, Saradamangalam and Anaipadi, in the south-western part of the Cauvery Basin in southeast India yielded rich inoceramid and ammonite faunas. The ammonites: Mesopuzosia gaudama (Forbes, 1846), Damesites sugata (Forbes, 1846), Onitschoceras sp., Kossmaticeras (Kossmaticeras) theobaldianum (Stoliczka, 1865), Lewesiceras jimboi (Kossmat, 1898), Placenticeras kaffrarium Etheridge, 1904, and Pseudoxybeloceras (Schlueterella) sp., are characteristic of the Kossmaticeras theobaldianum Zone. The absence of Peroniceras (P.) dravidicum (Kossmat, 1895) indicates the presence of only lower part of this zone, referred to the nominative Kossmaticeras theobaldianum Subzone at the localities studied. The inoceramids present are Tethyoceramus madagascariensis (Heinz, 1933) and Cremnoceramus deformis erectus (Meek, 1877), recorded for the first time from the region. The latter dates the studied interval as early early Coniacian, and allows, for the first time, direct chronostratigraphic dating of the Tethyoceramus madagascariensis Zone, and consequently also of the Kossmaticeras theobaldianum Subzone. As inoceramids occur in the middle part of the ammonite-rich interval, the Kossmaticeras theobaldianum Subzone may be as old as latest Turonian and not younger than early early Coniacian. The base of the Coniacian lies in the lower, but not lowermost part of the Anaipadi Formation. Both inoceramids and ammonites represent taxa known from Madagascar and South Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arctic climate in the Late Cretaceous has long been recognized to have been warm and wet relative to the present, but quantitative assessments of paleoclimate have been challenging due, in part, to disagreements between proxies in marine and terrestrial environments. This study provides a first multiproxy evaluation of Late Cretaceous (~93–90 Ma to 73–72 Ma) paleoclimate and paleohydrology from Devon Island in the Canadian High Arctic (modern location: 76°17′N, 91°12′W; Late Cretaceous location: ~71°30′N, ~24°30′W). Surface temperatures are reconstructed at ~12.6 to 20.6 °C for the ocean and 11.7 to 16.9 °C over land, using glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraether (GDGT) based proxies measured from marine (TEX 86 ) and terrestrial samples (MBT′5ME). These proxies are likely skewed toward warm month temperatures, based on novel analysis and interpretation of biomarkers in sediment and co-occurring marine vertebrate coprolites. The hydrogen isotopic composition (δ 2 H) of precipitation is constrained to have varied from −123‰ to −82‰ (VSMOW) using evidence from n -alkanes likely derived from higher plants. δ 18 O of shelfal marine surface water is constrained to have been between −10.5‰ to −3.4‰, using phosphate oxygen isotopes of marine vertebrate teeth and coprolites. From these, marine salinity is modeled to have varied from 10 PSU and 30 PSU, indicative of periodic freshwater influx. These estimates indicate that large marine vertebrates lived and fed, at least intermittently, in near-shore brackish waters. Finally, the Arctic was similarly warm in both the Late Cretaceous and Paleocene/Eocene, but the Late Cretaceous isotopic composition of precipitation at Devon Island was enriched in the heavy isotope of hydrogen by up to +60 to +70‰ relative to Arctic Eocene sites. The combination of techniques used here reduces uncertainties related to the application of proxies to an environment without a modern analogue, providing novel paleoclimatic constraints on the Late Cretaceous Arctic region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kilen in Kronprins Christian Land in eastern North Greenland provides a rare opportunity to study Late Cretaceous faunas at high northern latitudes. A well-preserved fauna discovered in concretions includes a rich assemblage of small kossmaticeratid ammonites, which represent a new species, Kossmaticeras ( Kossmaticeras ) kilenense sp. nov. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kozly Sandstone forms up to 59.5 m thick body situated mostly within the deepest tectonic depression of the Bohemian Cretaceous Basin (BCB), and cropping out in the SW vicinity of Česká Lípa (Fig. 1). Within this study, the Kozly Sandstone is defined as a succession of predominantly quartzose sandstones, exposed in the mentioned area, together with underlying succession of amalgamated sandstone beds. Because of complicated geological setting of the area, previous age constraints as well as interpretation of spatial extent of the Kozly Sandstone differed significantly (see Fig. 2). Recently, a complete stratigraphic section of this unit was penetrated by cored borehole 4730_B (Fig. 4). It proved that the Kozly Sandstone is separated from Turonian sandstones of the Jizera Fm. by ca. 25 m thick sequence of mudstones, containing bivalves Didymotis (Didymotis event 0), Mytiloides scupini (Heinz) as well as ammonite Prionocyclus germari (Reuss) (Fig. 7). Bivalves and ammonites allowed for the first time to determine the upper Turonian age for the mudstones underlying the Kozly Sandstone, belonging to the middle part of the Teplice Fm. On its top, an accumulation of glauconite and phosphates covering erosional truncation is interpreted as a transgressive lag comprising condensed lowermost part of the Coniacian. The overlying mudstones are the uppermost lower Coniacian in age. Based on drill core and outcrop data, individual lithofacies of the studied section (Table 1), incl. the Kozly Sandstone, are interpreted as having been deposited in deltaic environment: 1) facies S, G as delta-slope foresets, formed by alternation of gravity currents and tidal currents; 2) facies Sgf/Hgf as bottomsets, deposited by gravity currents; 3) facies Ste, a calcareous bimodal sandstone, as a tempestite, although originally deposited as bottomset turbidite; 4) both facies Ms and Mm/Mc as offshore deposits. Alternatively, the Kozly Sandstone, as sheet like body with an extent of at least 80 km2, might be interpreted as isolated sand field detached from the nearshore sands. The sand field, often covered by ripples and dunes, migrated to the SSW under fair weather wave base due to the activity of strong bottom currents, namely ebb currents. Well-logs allowed correlation of the Kozly Sandstone (Fig. 3) within genetic sequence TUR 7 consisting of middle-upper part of the Teplice Fm. (upper Turonian). The correlation shows that foresets developed southward from borehole Vf-1, in which succession of up to 20 m coarsening-upward cycles dominate the sequence TUR 7. This enigmatic sharp contrast of depositional architectures within TUR 7 sequence may reflect basinward shift of deposition resulting from the increase of clastic supply or rapid sea-level fall; both hypotheses, however, require further investigation. Further to the S/SW, the foresets pinch out into thick sequence of Coniacian mudstones. However, thick sequence of sandstones, correlated from the Kozly area into the vicinity of Děčín, indicate possible greater extent of the interpreted Kozly Sandstone than expected. Revision of archival boreholes and brief field survey allowed re-interpretation of the tectonic setting of the study area - proposed tectonic framework and idealized structure of the area is shown in Fig. 1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fossil megaflora of the Březno beds s.s. (fine-grained mudstone-dominated facies, as opposed to the coarse-grained facies of the so-called Chlomek or Chloumek beds, both constituting the Březno Formation s.l. ) is investigated on the basis of 38 specimens, 31 of them coming from Březno. The other localities are Podlesí (Waldek or Valdek), Opatovice nad Labem, and Vršovice u Loun. The most common species are the conifers Frenelopsis cf. alata (9 specimens, 24% of the material) and Geinitzia reichenbachii (8 specimens, 21%). In the entire assemblage conifers are represented by five taxa (31% of the total) and 26 specimens (68% of the total). Angiosperms (10 taxa, 63% of the total) are mostly represented by single specimens. Fertile material includes conifers Araucaria fricii (Araucariaceae) and Sphenolepis lepidota (Cupressaceae) as well as angiosperms Anthocephale bohemica (infrutescence incertae sedis ) and Allericarpus parvivalvis (Bayer) J. Kvaček et Heřmanová (Ericales, fruit). The rest of the megaflora consists of leaves. The new form group Elattophylls Halamski [represented in the material studied by Densinervum manifestum (Bayer) Halamski and J. Kvaček] is proposed for leaves with low rank venation. Rubiaephyllum Bayer emend. J. Kvaček is emended as a fossil-genus for elliptic leaves with pinnate venation and an apical gland. The following new combinations are introduced: Sphenolepis lepidota (Bayer) J. Kvaček et Halamski comb. nov., Dicotylophyllum caloneurum (Bayer) Halamski and J. Kvaček comb. nov., and Densinervum manifestum (Bayer) Halamski and J. Kvaček comb. nov. The microflora was investigated at Březno and is dominated by marine species (58%, 16 taxa). Among terrestrial palynomorphs (26 taxa) the Normapolles group is the richest with the most diversified genus Trudopollis (five species). The occurrence of Vitreisporites pallidus (Reissinger) Nilsson is the youngest record of the Caytoniales in Europe and is only slightly older than the youngest world record of this group of plants (Santonian of Sakhalin). The palynomorph assemblage allows the studied flora to be dated to the Coniacian. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sixteen samples from the “E” to “B” members of the Abu Roash Formation encountered in the Beni Suef Basin, Eastern Desert of Egypt were palynologically analyzed for palaeoenvironmental and sequence stratigraphic investigations. The integrated palynofacies and lithofacies analysis of the studied section indicates deposition of five alternating regressive and transgressive sequences in well-oxygenated, proximal shelf settings. The Abu Roash “E” and the upper “D” to the lower “C” members were deposited during pronounced regressive phases in oxic, shallow marginal marine settings. The upper “B” Member was deposited during a recurring regressive phase but of a lower magnitude in oxic, shallow inner neritic conditions. The lower “D” Member was deposited during a minor transgression phase in dysoxic, shallow inner neritic settings. While the upper “C” to the lower “B” section was deposited during a stronger transgressive episode in a relatively deep, inner neritic environment of prominent dysoxic conditions. This interchange in the depositional setting was documented by the pronounced and concurrent, cyclic nature of the freshwater algae, peridinioid dinoflagellate cysts, pteridophyte spores, and reworked sporomorphs with variable intensities. Their increasing and conversely their diminishing trends clearly reflect alternating regressive-transgressive periods of reduced and relatively normal salinity conditions, respectively. Overall, sedimentation of the studied Abu Roash section indicates a recurring rise in sea level, which accentuated during the earliest Santonian time. The analogous peaking in the Pediastrum signals with those of the pteridophyte spores and reworked taxa indicate a good connection between these Pediastrum signals and the pronounced fluviatile influxes of terrigenous sediments during regressive phases. Accordingly, this can be used to identify regressive sequence boundaries and hence the clastic reservoirs. Even with the small counts recorded herein, we believe high ratios of peridinioid/gonyalulacoid dinocysts are significantly paralleled by peaking signals of freshwater algae and regressive sedimentation phases. This must be preliminary documented here. Probably future palynological studies will be able to fully interpret and address this important Pediastrum rhythmic event in different sequence stratigraphic settings. The palynological parameters, age controlled sporomorph marker taxa, lithology, and gamma ray data were used to differentiate the Abu Roash members into three distinctive 3rd order depositional sequences (AR SQ1, AR SQ2, and AR SQ3). These sequences match well with the global stratigraphic sequences Tu 3, Tu 4, and Co 1 and connect the local rise in sea level to the global eustatic sea level rise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here we describe the first findings of reptile remains in the Upper Cretaceous marine strata of Siberia, which represent the northernmost occurrences of plesiosaurians, ?mosasaurids and turtles in the Cretaceous of Eurasia (66–72° N palaeolatitudes). The specimens come from the upper Cenomanian, Turonian and Coniacian of the Pyasina River basin, Santonian and Maastrichtian of the Tanama River and upper Santonian–lower Campanian of the Kheta River. They include remains of polycotylid and elasmosaurid plesiosaurians, as well as indeterminate small and osteologically immature plesiosaurians, indicating a somewhat typical Late Cretaceous plesiosaurian assemblage at the Arctic Polar Circle and implying that these shallow-water regions possibly used by plesiosaurians as a birth and nursery areas during the polar summer. In addition to plesiosaurian remains, a partial carinate ?mosasaurid tooth, and two turtle shell fragments, assigned to either non-marine Macrobaenidae or to marine Chelonioidea, and to non-marine Testudinoidea, are discovered, providing first direct evidence for the presence of these reptile groups in the Late Cretaceous of Northern Siberia. The findings of turtles are the northern most records of this group in the Cenomanian and Coniacian of Eurasia, which parallels previous records from the upper Cenomanian of Arctic Canada, and further supports warm climate conditions during the Cretaceous Greenhouse at high latitudes. Therefore, the Cenomanian–Turonian Boundary Event associated to the climate warming and to the beginning of the Cretaceous thermal maximum is well-recognized in Northern Siberia showing an expression of this "global" event over the Arctic region. • First Late Cretaceous reptiles reported for Northern Siberia, 66–72° paleolatitudes. • Coniacian high-latitude assemblage of plesiosaurs and turtles. • Small, immature plesiosaurs – evidence for breeding areas at high northern latitudes. • Eurasian Northernmost terrestrial turtle marks the onset of the CTM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An assemblage of planktonic foraminifers is recognized for the first time from the Yunusdag Formation (Kelevudag Section, northeastern Azerbaijan) The analysis of foraminifers from the studied sample suggests that it may belong to the upper part of the Marginotruncana coronata Zone, embracing the interval from the upper Turonian to the lower Coniacian inclusive. The taxonomic composition of the assemblage allows the Kelevudag section to be assigned to an intermediate province separating the Boreal and Tethyan realms and including the Late Cretaceous carbonates of Dagestan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]