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Sphenophyllum Brongniart constitutes a common and important element in the Carboniferous and Permian floras around the world, but its records in the Devonian Period are limited and remain to be investigated with respect to their morphology, anatomy, and distribution. Diversity of Sphenophyllum during Late Devonian in South China was significant with the presence of the well-known species including S. lungtanense Gothan and Sze, S. pseudotenerrimum Sze, and S. changxingense Huang et al. In this article, we describe a new species of the genus, S. fanwanense n. sp., from the Fanwan section of Changxing County, Zhejiang Province, characterized by having at least two orders of axes, with six spoon-shaped leaves attached at the node. A comprehensive review of previous records of Sphenophyllum from the Upper Devonian of South China shows that at least four species (S. fanwanense, S. lungtanense, S. pseudotenerrimum and S. changxingense), each with distinct leaf morphology, occur in South China in the Late Devonian, mostly from the Wutong Formation (Famennian). Given the lack of concrete evidence for anisophylly or heterophylly among the Devonian Sphenophyllum species (and more broadly, the Devonian sphenopsids), we suggest that the development of these features later in the Carboniferous and Permian periods was likely related to an increase in complexity of forest communities through time.

Late Devonian–Early Carboniferous spores recovered from the depths of 2140 m to 2031.3 m in the CSDP-2 Borehole in the southern Yellow Sea are systematically documented to characterize palynological associations for the stratigraphic correlation. The taxonomic study identifies 96 species belonging to 48 genera, including a re-examination of 33 previously described and indeterminate species. Three palynological associations are established for the Wutong Formation in the CSDP-2 Borehole. In ascending order, these are the late Famennian Aneurospora asthenolabrata–Geminospora lemurata (AL) Association from the proposed Guanshan Member, the latest Famennian Cymbosporites circinatus–Asperispora acuta (CA) Association from the lower part of the proposed Leigutai Member, and the Tournaisian Auroraspora macra–Lophozonotriletes involutus (MI) Association of the upper part of the latter member. The AL and CA associations are correlated with the palynological assemblages in the Guanshan Member, and those in the lower to middle parts of the Leigutai Member of the Wutong Formation that outcrops in the suburbs of Nanjing and southern Jiangsu. The MI Association is similar to those derived from the uppermost beds of the subsurface Wutong Formation and is dated as early Tournaisian.

The Devonian position of the South China Block (SCB) remains debated because apparently contradictory Devonian paleopoles have been documented. Here we report two characteristic remanent magnetization components from the mildly deformed Guanyang Devonian successions (Lochkovian-Famennian) within the cratonic interior of the SCB. Both components pass reversal tests and occur in different samples across the successions. Component A and associated paleopole DA (228.9°E, 37.7°N, A95 = 3.7°) are comparable with published Devonian data and were likely acquired before Permian-Triassic folding and likely reflect syn-depositional magnetization. Component B and its associated paleopole DB (204.6°E, 4.5°N, A95 = 5.5°) are distinct from published results and were probably acquired during minor tilting associated with the Late Devonian Liujiang orogeny. If paleopole DA was acquired prior to the Late Devonian Liujiang orogeny, the paleolatitude of the Guanyang successions varied little throughout the Devonian, but the azimuthal orientation of recorded declinations exhibits a 40° difference. The distinct positions of the two paleopoles are broadly consistent with existing enigmatic Devonian field records. Alternatively, given the uncertainty in the acquisition ages of both components in the Guanyang successions, a case can be made for component A being a secondary magnetization acquired during the Permian-Triassic Indosinian orogeny. Nonetheless, the similar distribution of Devonian paleopoles from Gondwana to those of cratonic interior of the SCB suggests a Devonian connection between the two continents, and adds further support for a non-uniformitarian geomagnetic field during this enigmatic time interval.

In order to better constrain the Late Paleozoic tectonic evolution of the SW Central Asian Orogenic Belt, we conducted field structural investigations, zircon U-Pb dating, whole-rock geochemical and Sr-Nd isotopic studies on the meta-sedimentary rocks and intruding granites and mafic dykes in the Dahalajunshan area, southern Yili Block of NW China. Our results allow us to recognize five tectonic/magmatic events. Field-scale and microscopic structures of the low-grade meta-sedimentary rocks showed a regional top-to-the-SE thrusting (Event 1). Undeformed granites that contain dioritic enclaves (Event 2) crosscut the regional foliations and thus post-date Event 1 after ca. 379–369 Ma. Mafic dykes intruded all these rocks after ∼328 Ma (Event 4–1), posterior to brittle-ductile thrusting (N-S contraction) (Event 3) and prior to normal faulting (N-S extension) (Event 4–2). All the magmatic rocks formed in a subduction-related setting. The granites and dioritic enclaves derived from a mixing of crustal- and mantle-derived sources variously modified by slab-derived hydrous melts. The primary magma of the diabase dykes derived from a mantle source modified by the slab fluids with 5% crustal contamination. Variation from regional compression (ductile and brittle-ductile thrusting) to extension (normal faulting) and increasing mantle input in arc-related magmatism reveals a transition from Early Paleozoic advancing subduction (events 1 to 3) to Late Paleozoic retreating subduction (events 4–1 and 4–2) of the Junggar oceanic plate beneath the Yili Block.

This study defines a new bivalve species, Naiadites devonicus nov. sp., of Famennian (Late Devonian) age. The material was excavated from the non-marine deposits of the Waterloo Farm Lagerstatte in South Africa, which form part of the Witpoort Formation (Witteberg Group, Cape Supergroup) of the Cape Fold Belt region. The type material of Naiadites devonicus nov. sp. is preserved in metamorphosed, clayey to silty mudstones of a coastal estuarine to lagoonal facies, deposited along the shoreline of the Agulhas Sea, in a high-palaeolatitude Gondwanan setting. The new bivalve species is the stratigraphically oldest representative of the genus Naiadites Dawson. It is a faunal element of a high-latitude palaeoecosystem, immediately preceding the Hangenberg extinction event at the end of the Late Devonian.

The boundary between tropical Permian faunas of the Inthanon Zone and Gondwana faunas in far NW Thailand has been long debated. Both the Late Devonian and the Permian Gondwanan platform margins lie a few kilometres west of the Mae Yuam/Mae Sariang Fault (MYMS FZ). In the Permian, the margin grades eastwards into hemipelagic radiolarites along the MYMS FZ and westwards into the Thitsiphin carbonate platform of Myanmar. The area west of the MYMS FZ is the Northern part of the West Thailand Region (NWTR). Quartz-rich limestones of Roadian age in the NWTR are succeeded by deep-water platform limestones in the NWTR and shallow-water carbonates in Myanmar and contain a distinctive fusulinid fauna including Monodiexodina which does not occur in palaeotropical terranes. A 300-m section of limestone 10 km west of the MYMS FZ contains Wordian microfauna and is placed in a deep shelf to slope environment. Carboniferous to Triassic continental margin, hemipelagic, non-hydrothermal, radiolarian cherts outcrop on either side of the Mae Yuam valley and were deposited on the upwelling margins of an ocean separating the Inthanon Zone and Sibumasu Terrane. The widely accepted allochthon model proposes that the Inthanon Zone Devonian-Triassic radiolarites were pelagic and deposited on a subducting ocean that supported seamounts with Visean to Permian tropical shallow-water carbonates lasting at least 90 my. We suggest an alternative hypothesis where the radiolarites of the Inthanon Zone were continental margin as shown by their geochemistry and deposited in deeper parts of small extensional basins with limited volcanism between long-lived, isolated carbonate platforms.

Research subject. Terrigenous rocks of the Sargaevo stage of sedimentation in various structural-facies settings within the Tsilma area (Middle Timan). Material and methods. The composition, structural features of rocks, and the species diversity of spores of higher plants were studied in the most complete natural outcrops proposed as a stratotype of the Paladinskaya Formation – a new straton of the Sargaevo age in the Middle Timan. Over a large area of the region, the deposits contain very few remains of fossil fauna, often indifferent. As a result, palynostratigraphy was selected as the main biostratigraphic method. Results. In the Middle Timan, a new straton, the Paladinskaya Formation, is described, which characterizes the Sargaevo stage of sedimentation in various structural-facies settings within the Tsil’ma area. The new straton has clear lithological and detailed palynological characteristics; a description of the limitotypes was performed.At present, the Paladinskaya Formation is the most complete sequence of Early Frasnian sedimentation in the European North-East of Russia, where it was possible to record regional responses to the global Frasnes event and to determine the position of the controversial level of the boundary between the Middle and Upper Devonian. Conclusions. The name “Ust’e Yarega” Formation in the Middle Timan cannot be considered valid, since it is a homonym of the sediments of the same age in the South Timan. The section is represented mainly by continental, rather than marine, deposits. A new name for the identifed formation is proposed – “Paladinskaya” with a description of the stratum section and limitotype.The Paladinskaya Formation is characterized by subcomplexes of spores (А and Б) of the regional miospore zone Cristatisporites pseudodeliquescens, which made it possible to correlate the marine and continental deposits of the Early Frasnian on the territory of the entire Timan-Pechora region and establish its exact position in the stratigraphic scheme of the Devonian.

The Silurian and Devonian plant fossil record is the basis for our understanding of the early evolution of land plants, yet our appreciation of early global phytogeographic evolution has been constrained by the focus of most studies on deposits from Europe, North America, and, more recently, South China. Devonian plants have been recorded rarely from northeastern China, and among previous records, few plants have been illustrated and formally described. In this article, megafossil plants representing a Late Devonian-aged (probably Famennian) flora are described from a locality at northern Sonid Zuoqi, Inner Mongolia, NE China. The flora includes Melvillipteris sonidia new species, Archaeopteris sp., and fragments of some other plants. The new plant shows main axes and two orders of lateral branches. The first-order branches of this plant show a typical zigzag appearance and are borne in pairs on main axes. Second-order branches are straight or slightly flexed, and are borne helically or alternately on first-order branches. Sterile ultimate appendages and fertile structures of M. sonidia n. sp. are borne alternately on second-order branches. An associated palynological assemblage, as well as U-Pb ages of detrital zircon grains from adjacent horizons, are also reported, indicating a Late Devonian age in accord with the megafossil plants. The present study contributes to our appreciation of the Devonian floristic diversity of the Xing'an Block, and, through our review of the record of early vascular plants from NE China, more broadly to the understanding of the mid-latitude vegetation of the Northern Hemisphere during the Late Devonian.

International audience; Phenotypic variation is the raw material of evolution. Standing variation can facilitate response to selection along "lines of least evolutionary resistance", but selection itself might alter the structure of the variance. Shape was quantified using 2D geometric morphometrics in Palmatolepis conodonts through the Late Devonian period. Patterns of variance were characterized along the record by the variance-covariance matrix (P-matrix) and its first axis (Pmax). The Late Frasnian was marked by environmental oscillations culminating with the Frasnian/Famennian mass extinction. A shape response was associated with these fluctuations, together with a deflection of the Pmax and the P-matrix. Thereafter, along the Famennian, Palmatolepis mean shape shifted from broad elements with a large platform to slender elements devoid of platform. This shift in shape was associated with a reorientation of Pmax and the P-matrix, due to profound changes in the functioning of the elements selecting for new types of variants. Both cases provide empirical evidences that moving adaptive optimum can reorient phenotypic variation, boosting response to environmental changes. On such time scales, the question seems thus not to be whether the P-matrix is stable, but how it is varying in response to changes in selection regimes and shifts in adaptive optimum.

The Devonian/Carboniferous Boundary (DCB) interval is associated with mass extinction, isotope excursions and a short glacial episode. This study investigates how boundary extinction and environmental change is expressed in the glacial high-palaeolatitudinal record of the Bolivian Altiplano (western Gondwana). A latest Devonian and early Carboniferous section has been investigated using sedimentology, palynology, total organic carbon and bulk δ13Corganic. The Colpacucho Formation is a Late Devonian shelfal–marine siliciclastic sequence. It is overlain in the study area by a unit of coarse sandstones and sandy diamictites, interpreted as glaciomarine. This distinctive glaciomarine unit is at least 7 km wide and 60–120 m thick with a variably incisive basal contact (Retispora lepidophyta and significant palynological assemblage changes. This includes the loss of the Umbellasphaeridium saharicum phytoplankton bioprovince, endemic to Gondwana. Marine and terrestrial palynological extinctions are synchronous with a 2 ‰ positive carbon isotope excursion interpreted to be reflective of changes in organic matter delivery and preservation during an interval of environmental stress. These results inform wider debates on global environmental change and mass extinction at the DCB.

The southern Altaids is of critical significance for a better understanding of the orogenic architecture and continental growth in Central Asia. The tectonic setting of the South Tianshan, a typical Paleozoic accretionary orogen within the southern Altaids, is controversial. This study reports new structural relations, geochemistry, and geochronology of previously assigned Late Silurian–Early Devonian strata in the Karaghol area of the South Tianshan. The constituent rocks are pillow basalts, ribbon cherts, limestones, siliceous mudstones, and turbiditic sandstones. Field relations show that these rocks are characterized by fault-bound tectonic slices and melanges with typical block-in-matrix structures. The pillow basalts show N-MORB, E-MORB, and OIB geochemical fingerprints, and our new LA-ICP-MS zircon U–Pb dates indicate that the maximum eruption age of the OIB-type basalts was ca. 386 Ma, whereas the Maximum Depositional Ages (MDAs) of the turbiditic sandstones were ca. 369 Ma and 355 Ma. The age spectra of the detrital zircons, which define prominent peaks at ca. 370 Ma, ca. 420 Ma, ca. 770 Ma, ca. 960 Ma with subordinate Proterozoic ages, are a good match with the igneous ages of intermediate to felsic magmatism in the Yili–Central Tianshan arc. We conclude that the previously assigned Late Silurian–Early Devonian strata in the Karaghol area are mostly dismembered structural components and melanges that belonged to an accretionary complex of Late Devonian to Early Carboniferous age, into which fragments of a Late Devonian seamount along with South Tianshan oceanic crustal rocks were likely emplaced during north-dipping subduction in the Early Carboniferous. This well-documented accretionary orogen in the Chinese South Tianshan is a key constraint on the accretionary orogenesis of the southern Altaids.

Early Carboniferous granitoids, distributed in the Yining and Central Tianshan blocks, Chinese western Tianshan, are important for deciphering their tectonic contexts and evolutionary history of the South Tianshan Ocean. Here we present LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb ages, in situ Hf isotopic data, and whole-rock geochemical data of the monzogranites and syenogranites from the Kalejun Mountains, southern part of the Yining Block, aiming to constrain their petrogenesis and geodynamic background. The results reveal that these monzogranites and syenogranites were emplaced at 356 Ma and 344 Ma, respectively. Geochemically, they are characterized by high SiO2 (68.74-75.76 wt.%) and K2O (4.58-6.18 wt%), low MgO (0.14-0.76 wt.%) and P2O5 (0.04-0.24 wt.%) contents. In addition, they are depleted in Ba, Sr, Eu, Ti, Nb, and Zr, and enriched in Rb, Cs, Th, and U. These features indicate that the Kalejun granites are high-silica I-type granites. The low positive epsilon(Hf)(t) values (+1.1 to +8.2) and old T-DM2(Hf) model ages (1294 to 827 Ma) of the studied zircons imply that the parental magma of these granites were derived from the reworking of Proterozoic basement with minor involvement of juvenile materials. Combined with the Late Devonian to Early Carboniferous magmatic activities in the Yining and Central Tianshan blocks (e.g. the discovery of A-type bubble rhyolites and high-Mg andesites), it is suggested that the Kalejun granites were likely related to the roll-back of the South Tianshan oceanic slab. Finally, we argue that the subduction of South Tianshan Ocean probably terminated at the end of the Early Carboniferous.

Upper Devonian carbonates deposited through the Frasnian/Famennian (F/F) stage boundary in the Xom Nha Formation, Central Vietnam, were studied. The section is mainly composed of fossiliferous, brecciated, and laminated limestone beds, while shale beds occur in a subordinate number. Microfacies generally suggests a hemipelagic setting on an outer shelf environment with low sedimentation rates. A sediment accumulation rate of 0.217 cm/kyrs for this section is calculated. The Xom Nha section does not exhibit characteristic black shales or black limestones through the F/F boundary, but instead shows a similar lithology in comparison to other F/F sections in Southeast Asia. The carbonates yielded abundant conodonts, which represent mainly cosmopolitan species but the section differs from most sections in Europe in showing relatively high numbers of Palmatolepis linguiformis species. Deposition through the F/F boundary interval reported here for the Xom Nha section appears to have occurred during a ~1.2 Ma, and shows well-defined climate cyclicity.

A study of the geochemical features and isotopic (Sm‒Nd and U‒Pb) age of dolerites of the Ivdel complex on the eastern slope of the Northern Urals within the Tagil island-arc mega zone has been carried out. It was found that the magmatic formations composing it are of Famennian age and, therefore, were formed after the closure of the subduction zone. The rocks of the Ivdel complex show a similarity to volcanics of both convergent and divergent settings and were likely formed from the products of partial melting of the depleted supra-subduction upper mantle. Famennian hypabyssal–subvolcanic and volcanogenic complexes, similar to the Ivdel one, are also known in island-arc blocks in the Subpolar and Southern Urals.

Water in the lower crust plays a critical role in rheological layering of the continental lithosphere. Sixteen granulite xenoliths were collected from the Late Devonian Udachnaya and Komsom...

A middle Famennian shallow-water vertebrate assemblage is described from the shallow-water shelf deposits exposed in the western Mongolia Hushoot Shiveetiin gol section from the Baruunhuurai Terrane of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB). The low diversity, yet abundant chondrichthyan fauna represents a typical shallow-water shark biofacies but lacks the expected protacrodont and phoebodont species, instead comprising almost exclusively of ctenacanthiform shark teeth and a new genus and species Junggarensis ambiguus gen. et sp. nov. This new species appears highly derived, likely occupying the shallow-water niche protacrodont and orodont sharks typically inhabit. The identification of tooth variation in Junggarensis ambiguus gen. et sp. nov. has allowed for the synonymy of previous indeterminate Famennian shark teeth and in turn confirms vertebrate faunal connections between the Central Asian Orogenic Belt and areas along the northern margins of Gondwana.

Xiphosura, the so-called horseshoe crabs, are a group of extant marine chelicerates that have a fossil record extending back to the Lower Ordovician. Their temporal range, coupled with a supposed record of bradytelic evolution has made them a focus of palaeontological consideration for over two centuries. As such, there are an array of taxa erected during the 20th century that have remained unexamined in light of new material and revised phylogenetic theories. Stem xiphosurids in particular require further research to uncover the diversity and disparity of non-crown group horseshoe crabs. To align with the recent increase in mid to late Paleozoic horseshoe crab research, we reconsider the stem xiphosurids “Kasibelinurus” randalli and “Bellinurus” alleganyensis from the Late Devonian of Pennsylvania and New York State. We conclude that they are synonyms and belong in neither Kasibelinurus nor Bellinurus, and the new genus, Patesia, is erected to accommodate them. Reconsidering stem xiphosurids highlights that particularly in the Late Devonian there was a high disparity of form. One such stem xiphosurid may represent the morphological stock that gave rise to the Carboniferous taxa and the first xiphosurid radiation.

The genus Ontaria Clarke, 1904 includes a group of small, almost circular bivalves that occur abundantly in the Mid- and Late Devonian pelagic facies. These bivalves are characterised by their straight hinge line, small and, central beak, as well as commarginal rugae (if present). Based on an extensive review of type material and additional samples as well as a comprehensive literature review, this study identifies three valid species Ontaria suborbicularis Hall, Ontaria concentrica von Buch, and Ontaria iniquistriata Beushausen. Thirteen Ontaria species are either not valid or have been synonymised, and three species that were previously included in Ontaria do not belong to this genus. Representatives of Ontaria first occur in the late Eifelian and become abundant in the Frasnian and Famennian. Ontaria last occurs in the late Famennian before the Devonian/Carboniferous boundary. This genus has been identified as a representative of the family Cardiolidae previously reported only from the Silurian, making Ontaria the first report of a Devonian cardiolid taxon. Ontaria inhabited low-energy, generally well-oxygenated, off-shore environments. The overall shell morphology, small size, and the presence of a small siphon supports the idea that Ontaria lived semi-infaunal in/on muddy substrates.

The oceanic stage in the history of the South Urals completed in the Ordovician – Early Silurian. The Ordovician through Devonian events in the region included the formation of an island arc in the East Ural zone from the Middle Ordovician to Silurian; westward motion of the subduction zone in the Late Silurian – Early Devonian and the origin of a trench along the Main Ural Fault and the Uraltau Uplift; volcanic eruptions and intrusions in the Magnitogorsk island arc system in the Devonian. The Middle-Late Paleozoic geodynamic evolution of uralides and altaides consisted in successive alternation of subduction and collisional settings at the continent-ocean transition. The greatest portion of volcanism in the major Magnitogorsk zone was associated with subduction and correlated in age and patterns of massive sulfide mineralization (VMS) with Early – Middle Devonian ore-forming events in Rudny Altai. Within-plate volcanism at the onset of volcanic cycles records the Early (D1e2) and Middle (D2ef2) Devonian slab break off. The volcanic cycles produced, respectively, the Buribay and Upper Tanalyk complexes with VMS mineralization in the Late Emsian; the Karamalytash complex and its age equivalents in the Late Eifelian – Early Givetian, as well as the lower Ulutau Formation in the Givetian. Slab break off in the Late Devonian – Early Carboniferous obstructed the Magnitogorsk island arc and supported asthenospheric diapirism. A new subduction zone dipping westward and the Aleksandrovka island arc formed in the Late Devonian – Early Carboniferous. The Early Carboniferous collision and another event of obstructed subduction led to a transform margin setting corresponding to postcollisional relative sliding of plates that produced another slab tear. Postcollisional magmatism appears as alkaline gabbro-granitic intrusives with related rich Ti-magnetite mineralization (C1). Transform faulting persisted in the Middle Carboniferous through Permian, when the continent of Eurasia completed its consolidation. The respective metallogenic events included formation of Cu-Ni picritic dolerites (C2–3), as well as large-scale gold and Mo-W deposits in granites (P1–2).

The Istanbul–Zonguldak Tectonic Unit, which is devoid of Devonian–Carboniferous magmatism, is a continental fragment of Far East Avalonia. It was deformed by thrusting due to the collision with the Sakarya terrane with Minoa origin during the Carboniferous, and forms the Variscan foreland. The tectono-magmatic evolution of Devonian–Carboniferous, thus consumption evolution of the Rheic Ocean in Far East Avalonia, is poorly known. Diabase and basaltic andesite dykes show Late Devonian to Late Carboniferous igneous crystallization ages in the Istanbul–Zonguldak Tectonic Unit (NW Turkey). They have aphanitic to vitrophyric textures. U–Pb dating on igneous zircons from diabase and basaltic andesite dykes yielded Late Devonian age of ca. 381.3 ± 1.8 Ma (2σ) and Late Carboniferous ages of ca. 306.1 ± 3.3 to 301.5 ± 1.1 Ma (2σ), respectively. Geochemically, Late Devonian magmatism shows tholeiitic affinities and contains subduction and with-in plate components, but Late Carboniferous magmatism displays calc–alkaline signatures and includes subduction components. The Late Devonian dykes intruded into the continental block during the rifting of the Pripyat–Dnieper–Donets Basin in Baltica as a result of the north-subducting Rheic Ocean. While it proceeded to subduct under Far East Avalonia along the magmatic arc that was similar to the Hanseatic arc in East Avalonia, Late Carboniferous dykes emplaced into it in an arc-related setting. Also, Late Carboniferous magmatism that is related to magmatic arc displays that the collision of the Istanbul–Zonguldak Tectonic Unit and Sakarya terrane, described as the Variscan orogeny in the Pontides did not form during the Carboniferous.

This article presents the results of U–Pb geochronological study of gneiss-granites of the Mamskaya zone. The age estimate of 1874 ± 9 Ma (SIMS method) obtained for the magmatic protolith of gneiss-granites for the first time proves the close formation time of gneiss-granites from the Mamskaya zone and rapakivi-like granites of the Kodar complex in the Chara–Olekma block. In the Late Devonian and Carboniferous, according to preliminary data, the Paleoproterozoic protolith of the gneiss-granites underwent deep metamorphic processing during shear deformations and formation of pegmatoid granites and pegmatites.

The relevance of the work is caused by necessary regional analysis of magmatic evolution of the East Magnitogorsk belt and refnement of ideas on geodynamics of the South Urals. The geology and petrochemical-mineralogical features of the Sakhara dunite-clinopyroxenite-gabbro complex in the South Urals are characterized in the paper. Its late Frasnian age is substantiated. The composition of olivine, clinopyroxene and chromite in rocks of the complex are determined. The restite nature of dunites is proved. It is shown that rocks of the complex are similar to those of the Urals platinum belt and belong to Ural-Alaskan type. It is concluded that the complex formed in island-arc geodynamic setting and in the beginning of the formation of a mature island arc. The location of massifs of the complex is an additional argument in favor of a western dip (in the present-day coordinates) of a subduction paleozone at the moment of its formation. Crystallization diferentiation was a leading mechanism of petrogenesis of rocks of the complex.

Based on the analysis of data on bryozoan localities in territory of modern Eurasia, changes of the bryozoan richness were calculated in detail for six time slices in the interval from the early Famennian to the late Tournaisian. Highest extinction tempo was observed for the latest Famennian, apparently linked to the Hangenberg Event. However, in the richness of bryozoans during the late-latest Famennian, an abrupt increase in the origination tempo is observed, as well as a slight decrease in the total bryozoan richness at the Devonian-Carboniferous transition. Origination of abundant narrowly specialised bryozoan genera in the orders Trepostomata and Cryptostomata at the end of the Devonian and in the beginning of the Carboniferous was caused by the combined influence of extrinsic and intrinsic factors. An observed increase in the morphological specialisation of bryozoans during the Late Devonian and early Carboniferous coincides with patterns observed in other benthic organisms such as brachiopods and rugose corals. These patterns can be explained by vacation of ecological niches and changes in the structure of the marine biota in the aftermath of the Hangenberg Event.

In the poorly studied southeastern part of the Chetlas uplift, ring structures typical for magmatic pipe-type bodies (diatremes) have been established. The main part of the ring structures is located in the areas of the distribution of the Upper Devonian sediments. This fact indicates the lower age threshold of the formation of the objects forming them as Late Devonian, i.e., similar to the age of kimberlites of the Arkhangelsk diamond-bearing province. To assess the prospects of one of the most numerous groups of the ring structures, heavy-mineral concentrate sampling of the modern stream sediments was conducted. While studying the heavy-mineral concentrates, chromium-bearing pyrope—a kimberlite indicator mineral—was revealed, and the first diamond grain was found. About 20% of pyropes are characterized by a high preservation of relict endogenous surfaces. The diamond has the appearance of a flattened aggregate with the distinct octahedron faces modified by surfaces of joint growth with other mineral grains. Findings of diamonds and signs of the formation of the diamond indicator minerals in the stream sediments of the studied area make it possible to detect their nearby original sources.

In our research we summarized data obtained on the composition, structure, and geochemical characteristics of the granitoid plutons of the eastern part of the Krasnoleninsky arch of the East Siberian Plate and the age of rocks surrounding them. The Kamenny, Palyanovsky, North Kamenny and Vodorazdelny granite, granodiorite, and granosyenite plutons were emplaced in the interval of 297–261 Ma (Early–Late Permian) as melting products of the lower–middle crust at the postorogenic stage. The formation of granitoid massifs in the basement of the Em-Egovsky summit took place in the Late Devonian (Frasnian, Famennian). They differ greatly from the rocks of the Kamenny pluton in composition, degree of secondary alterations, and tectonization.

The results of a paleontological and stratigraphic study of an assemblage of Paleozoic primitive calcareous foraminifers from the central part of the Mendeleev Rise (Eastern Arctic) are presented. The obtained data allow us to refine and correct the age of strata containing these fossils. It is shown that the Parathurammina (s.l.) foraminifera are the most stratigraphically informative in this assemblage. The primitive foraminifers recorded in Sample 1601/8c from carbonate deposits of the central part of the Mendeleev Rise indicate the early Famennian time of formation of these deposits.

The Bayankhoshuu Ruins section in southern Mongolia is characterized by strongly thrusted and folded sequences. Overall, three sections ranging from Ordovician to Carboniferous rocks were studied. Facies analysis combined with stratigraphic data provide improved lithostratigraphic descriptions of Palaeozoic successions in the Mushgai region. The overall marine sedimentary sequence is punctuated by volcanic rocks–basaltic lava of Silurian and Middle Devonian age and volcaniclastic bentonite and tuff in the Middle to Late Devonian and Mississippian suggesting an island arc setting. The Minjin Member of the Botuulkhudag Formation (Middle Devonian to Late Devonian) is primarily composed of thick basaltic and subaerial volcanic rocks with minor silicified siltstone and chert inclusions. Thicker successions of limestone occur in the Ordovician/Silurian, Early Devonian, and the Mississippian. The macrofauna is scarce, except distinct limestone horizons where different fossil groups were recognized. Microfossils, such as radiolarians and conodonts, are scarce and generally poorly preserved. However, based on the re-study of collections from earlier publications and new conodont data, a more detailed biostratigraphic record of the Khoyormod, Botuulkhudag, and Arynshand formations of the Bayankhoshuu Ruins section can be developed. For instance, the Arynshand Formation likely ranges from the late Bispathodus ultimus conodont biozone to the Scaliognathus anchoralis–Doliognathus latus conodont biozone. A tectonic breccia occurs in the early Mississippian and is overlain by a red shale of remarkable thickness at the top of this formation which points to subaerial exposure in the early Mississippian (near the Tournaisian/Visean transition). Due to strong tectonic overprint and/or facies, some unconformities/hiatuses occur. Most strata are intensively folded and faulted, ranging from centimeter to meter scale. Overall, deposition likely occurred on either the Mandalovoo or Gurvansayhan Terrane.

Beyond yielding signals of extinction or stressed ecological conditions, modern and ancient foraminiferal assemblages reflect specific marine depositional environments and depths. Foraminiferal predominance facies and benthic foraminiferal depth zonation has been successfully used to identify specific marine environments dating back to the Carboniferous. Using insights from modern equivalents, correlative assemblages allow for paleoecological analysis and insights. Middle to Late Devonian (Frasnian) black and gray shale beds of western New York contain hundreds of diminutive calcareous and agglutinated foraminifera. The genera within these beds are reminiscent of shallow modern predominance facies. These foraminiferal assemblages and their associated predominance facies correlate well with prior lithologic and geochemical investigations that establish this portion of the Appalachian Basin as a deltaic setting but suggest it is likely inner neritic zone. Dominant genera include several species of Ammobaculites and Saccammina which suggest that paleodepths did not exceed 50 m throughout the Frasnian. Opportunistic genera reflect a muted crisis associated with the punctata isotopic event (Rhinestreet Event) and Lower Kellwasser (Pipe Creek) events. While there are definite shifts in the diversity of assemblages between gray and black shale, the foraminiferal type and feeding mode, indicative of depth and oxygen availability respectively, there is little variation between the distinct shale units. No significance was found between total organic carbon and foraminiferal type of feeding mode. Identification at the species level is problematic but assemblages at the genus-level suggest that the depositional environment was stressed. However, the effects of these marine crisis events were not significant for these foraminifera in comparison to those frequently reported; we found no local extinction for foraminifera at least through the lower Hanover Shale, just prior to the Hangenberg marine crisis event, within this deltaic complex of the Appalachian Basin in western New York.

The Khoshyeilagh Formation located in the northeast of Iran yielded seven conodont species and sub-species and 19 macro- and microfossil taxa that allow recognition of two conodont biozones and one biozone based on calcareous microfossils. The latest Frasnian age (the Upper rhenana to linguiformis zones) is attributed to the topmost strata with Icriodus alternatus. Its replacement with I. cornutus indicates the Famennian (Lower triangularis to Lower crepida zones) corresponding to the Umbellina Zone. The fossil assemblages identified in the Khoshyeilagh Formation represent a shallow marine environment with a tropical climate at the time of deposition. The fossil species from the Khoshyeilagh Formation and the sedimentary basins in Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Poland, and Russia reveal a close connection between the Iranian plateau and the northern parts of Gondwana in the Late Devonian. The biofacies and lithofacies analyses show a sea level decline at the end of Frasnian, followed by a considerable sea level drop, as in other regions of the world. After a short time, in the Famennian, the deepening occurred in some parts of the area and the open marine facies (bioclast spicule wackestone-packstone) were deposited. This study is the first attempt to determine Frasnian-Famennian boundary based on conodont assemblages and other fossil species such as umbellulids, tentaculites, and ostracods. The distribution of these species is interpreted in sedimentological, stratigraphic, sequence stratigraphy, and the global eustatic context. Keywords: biofacies, conodont, Frasnian-Famennian boundary, Late Devonian, NE Iran. RESUMO – A Formacao Khoshyeilagh, localizada no nordeste do Ira, produziu sete especies de conodontes e subespecies e 19 taxons de macro- e microfosseis, o que permite o reconhecimento de duas biozonas de conodontes e uma biozona baseada nos microfosseis calcareos. A idade Frasniana mais superior (as zonas superiores rhenana a linguiformis) e atribuida ao estrato mais superior com Icriodus alternatus. A sua substituicao por I. cornutus indica o Famenniano (zonas iniciais triangularis superior a crepida superior), correspondendo a Zona de Umbellina. Os fosseis identificados na Formacao Khoshyeilagh representam um ambiente marinho raso, com um clima tropical, no momento de deposicao. As especies fosseis da Formacao Khoshyeilagh e as bacias sedimentares na Argelia, Libia, Marrocos, Polonia e Russia revelam uma conexao intima entre o plato iraniano e as partes norte do Gondwana no Neodevoniano. As biofacies e litofacies analisadas mostram um declinio do nivel do mar no final do Frasniano, seguido por uma consideravel queda do nivel do mar, como em outras regioes do mundo. Apos um curto tempo, no Famenniano, o aprofundamento ocorreu em algumas partes da area, e a facies marinha aberta (bioclast spicule wackestone-packstone) foi depositada. Este estudo e a primeira tentativa de determinar o limite Frasniano-Famenniano com base em associacoes de conodontes e outras especies fosseis, como umbellulideos, tentaculites e ostracodes. A distribuicao dessas especies e interpretada nos contextos sedimentologico, estratigrafico, de estratigrafia de sequencias e de eustasia global. Palavras-chave: biofacies, conodonte, limite Frasniano-Famenniano, Neodevoniano, NE Ira.

A relatively complete conodont record from Famennian to the Mississippian/Pennsylvanian boundary was investigated in the Anarak section, Central Iran. The studied interval belongs to the Bahram, Shishtu, Ghaleh and Absheni formations. The Famennian part of the section (Bahram Formation) ranges from the Palmatolepis triangularis Zone into the Bispathodus ultimus Zone. Not all conodont zones could be defined due to the lack of indicative species. Furthermore, it seems likely that a hiatus occurs around the Devonian/Carboniferous (D/C) boundary (most probably from the Siphonodella praesulcata to the ?Siphonodella sulcata–early Siphonodella crenulata conodont zones) based on the lack of stratigraphically important conodonts as well as on sedimentological criteria. The lack of representative siphonodellids and protognathodids at the base of the Mississippian prevents detailed stratigraphic position of the D/C boundary. Lower Carboniferous (Mississippian) rocks are characterized by red nodular limestone which is unique in comparison with other studied sections of the same age in Central Iran. Within the studied section, we could define the Mississippian/Pennsylvanian boundary. The mid-Carboniferous boundary was defined by the occurrence of Declinognathus noduliferus s.l. Conodont biofacies changes (Mississippian genera Gnathodus and Lochriea have been replaced by Pennsylvanian genera Declinognathus and Idiognathodus) are recognized in this section as well., Ministry of Science Research and Technology (IR)

Devonian fishes from South America tend to be fragmentary and sparse, catching little attention for palaeontological sampling. However, some of these remains demonstrate a wide variety of fishes wh...

Whole-rock and Sm–Nd isotopic geochemistry data were used to characterise the probable sources of the Triassic Alentejo and Algarve sandstones. These rocks were deposited in a rift setting, plot within the recycled field in the QFL and discrimination function diagrams for sandstones, thus supporting derivation from a recycled orogenic terrane. They all show negative Eu anomalies, enrichment of LREE, and nearly flat HREE patterns, typical of upper-continental crustal sources. Their Nd TDM model ages and detrital zircon populations are significantly coincident with those of the Late Devonian-Early Carboniferous Phyllite-Quartzite and Tercenas formations and Early Carboniferous Mira turbidites of the South Portuguese Zone (SPZ), indicating that these may have been their dominant sources, with a minor contribution from the Visean Mertola turbidites. In particular, the Mira turbidites may also be regarded as the dominant source of the eastern Algarve Triassic sandstones. Furthermore, the Nd TDM model ages and the detrital zircon populations of the central Algarve Triassic sandstones as compared with those of the SPZ Late Carboniferous Brejeira and Late Devonian Ronquillo formations suggest a strong source to sink relationship. Finally, some of the western Algarve Triassic sandstones show older Nd TDM model ages which have not been recognized in the SPZ basement rocks, and, hence, suggest that these sediments may derive directly from primary remote sources. We advance the suggestion that beyond remote potential sources from the Meguma Terrane, others from the Moroccan Variscan Belt have been reproduced in the Devonian-Carboniferous SPZ basement as the result of sediment recycling. These SPZ would represent intermediate sediment repositories and would be later on reworked and incorporated into the Triassic Algarve Basin, thus indicating multi-cycle sedimentation.

The petrochemistry and geochemistry of dolerites and basalts of the Late Devonian Kanin-Timan complex of the Kanin Peninsula and the Middle Timan are considered. Petrochemically, the rocks of the Kanin-Timan complex of the Kanin Peninsula and the Tsilma river area of the Middle Timan correspond to basaltoids of the normal range of alkalinity and partially to moderately alkaline varieties, and belong to the tholeiitic series. The least differentiated varieties are dolerites of the southeastern Kanin Peninsula, the most differentiated are the basalts of the river Tsilma of the Middle Timan. The lowest REE concentrations were found in the rocks of the central part of the Kanin Peninsula (36.5-56.8 g/t); in the same samples, the lowest LaN/YbN values were recorded (1.85 and 2.4, respectively), which indicates an increased degree of melting of the source. The highest REE concentrations were found in basalts from the river Tsilma (77.13-88.33 g/t), LaN/YbN values (2.49-2.7, respectively). The influence of the crustal component in the formation of melts from which rocks of the Kanin-Timan complex were formed, was established. The source of the melt was spinel-garnet lherzolite, the degree of melting varied from 10 to 30%. The maximum degree of melting was 30%, at which melts were formed, that gave rise to the least differentiated rocks of the Northern Timan and the central part of the Kanin Peninsula. The mantle source, that gave rise to the melts from which the rocks of the Kanin-Timan complex were formed, was enriched with subduction and crustal components, a similar type of source is characteristic of the basaltoids of the No-rilsk trough.

This paper reports the geochemical, U–Pb geochronological, and Sm-Nd isotopic–geochemical data on granites of the Medvedka Massif in the northern part of the Nora–Sukhotino terrane. It has been found that these granites have an age of 378 ± 3 Ma. They contain ferruginous silicates, have high iron index (FeO*/(FeO*+MgO)), low concentrations of Al2O3, CaO, MgO, high contents of Nb, Ga, Y, a deficiency of Sr and Eu, positive values of eNd(t) (+3.0…+4.1), and a high Y/Nb ratio. All these data indicate that the granites of the Medvedka massif are A2-type granites. The Late Devonian hastingsite–biotite granites of the Medvedka massif most likely reflect a transform continental margin setting in the evolution of the South Mongolian–Khingan orogenic belt.

The evolution of vascular plants during the Devonian Period has had great impacts on terrestrial ecosystems through innovations of key characters such as leaves, heterospory, seed reproduction, and woods. Here we report a new plant, Qianshouia mira n. gen. n. sp., from the Upper Devonian Wutong (Wutung) Formation of Fanwan section, Changxing County, Zhejiang Province, China. This plant has slender axes which seldom branch. Its leaves are arranged in pseudowhorls, departing from axes with an acute angle. The leaves are strap-shaped and each can be subdivided into proximal, middle and distal portions. At the proximal portion, a middle ridge develops, and at the middle portion this ridge divides at least three times forming four to six daughter ridges, and in between are grooves. The distal portion of leaves (leaf apex) is suggested to be adaxially curved, with no ridges but with forked tips. Qianshouia probably represents a small plant with a shrubby or herbaceous habit. Due to the unique leaf morphology and the lack of fertile structures and anatomy, the exact phylogenetic position of Qianshouia is uncertain. Qianshouia might be a lycopsid in light of the pseudowhorled phyllotaxis, or alternatively, could be a sphenopsid if the dichotomous ridge system of the leaf could be demonstrated to be leaf veins. Nevertheless, Qianshouia adds to the diversity of leaf morphologies among the Late Devonian vascular plants.

The Late Paleozoic volcanic rocks distributed in southeastern Mongolia are key to reconstructing the tectonic processes along the south margin of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt during this period. In this study, representative volcanic samples were collected in the west of Oyu Tolgoi near the eastern border of the South Gobi and Trans-Altai Zones. The geochronological results reveal intermittent Late Devonian to Early Carboniferous volcanic belts with zircon U Pb ages of 360, 320, and 340 Ma for the south, center, and north belts, respectively. Geochemical and isotopic results imply comparable petrogenesis for the samples from different belts. The basic samples are primarily derived from the different degrees of partial melting of a mantle source, and their compositions are slightly affected by the assimilation of crustal materials with different maturities. The intermediate to acidic samples were more likely produced by partial melting of a crust-derived source triggered by underplating of the mantle magma. The low Mg# and apparent Eu anomalies of the extremely high-Si rhyolites sampled from a bimodal-like volcanic sequence in the south belt indicate strong fractional crystallization after derivation from the partial melting of the juvenile crust. In conjunction with the spatiotemporal distribution pattern of magma and the observations recorded in previous studies, we propose that the Late Devonian to Early Carboniferous volcanic rocks from the south and north belts are a continental arc formed from the northward subduction of the Tsagaan Uul terrane under the Mongolian microcontinent and that the Late Carboniferous volcanism in the center belt was produced under a post-collision extensional setting. The subsequent increasingly intense extension was also responsible for the local Late Carboniferous to Early Permian calc-alkaline to alkaline granitic plutons.

The fluvial facies of the Catskill Formation record important ecological events that occurred during Late Devonian time. A well-exposed section between the towns of Blossburg and Covington, in north-central Pennsylvania, contains abundant macrofossils and sedimentary features, making it well-suited for linking Upper Devonian fossil occurrences with depositional environments and sedimentary processes. Strata consist of two distinct fluvial facies: floodplain lithofacies consist of mudrocks, with evidence of pedogenic overprinting and sharp-based sandstones interpreted as crevasse splays; channel-bar lithofacies consist of single- and multi-storied cross-stratified lenticular sandstone bodies interpreted as fluvial channel-bar complexes. Macrofossils occur in 22 discrete horizons spanning > 240 m of stratigraphic succession that include Archanodon bivalve shell impressions, two genera of “placoderms” (Bothriolepis, Phyllolepis), an unidentified acanthodian, and several taxa of sarcopterygian fishes, including lungfish (Dipnoi indet.), Holoptychius, Langlieria, and Sauripterus. Most vertebrate macrofossils are preserved as disarticulated, abraded plates, scales, and bone fragments in sandstone channel-bar deposits. Articulated, unabraded remains are preserved in proximal floodplain deposits. Miospores recovered from Catskill Formation fossil sites in the Blossburg-Covington section belong to the COR subzone of the VCo (Diducites versabilis-Grandispora cornuta) palynological zone, indicating deposition ca. 362 to 361.8 Ma during the late Famennian stage of the Late Devonian. Catskill Formation fluvial strata exposed tens of kilometers to the south and west yield latest Famennian palynomorphs. These broadly contemporaneous continental depositional environments supported Late Devonian vertebrate evolution, including the fin-to-limb transition in tetrapodomorphs, and the possible euryhalinity of vertebrates occupying marine-to-nonmarine transitional habitats.

An Upper Devonian to (?)Lower Mississippian section at Hushoot Shiveetiin gol in the Baruunhuurai Terrane of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB) was investigated. A generally well-preserved and diverse ostracod fauna was collected from the Late Devonian (Famennian) Samnuuruul Formation in western Mongolia. It is the first rich assemblage described from this area. The ostracod fauna consists of 19 genera and 25 species. Two of the species are proposed new species, and 13 species are described in open nomenclature. The Mongolian ostracod fauna is similar to coeval faunas in western China and Laurussia, but also contains new, endemic species. Two new taxa are described: Beyrichiopsis hushootensis and Ampuloides beckeri. Ostracod findings are characterized by the Eifelian Mega-Assemblage (I-III) representing a nearshore, variable palaeoenvironment which is in accordance with facies analysis provided by other studies.

International audience; The Givetian to Famennian (Middle-Upper Devonian) Bahram Formation deposits (Bondar and Shahzadeh Mohammad sections) in the Kerman region, Central Iran were sampled for conodonts. The conodonts were described, their distribution investigated, and the studied sections were correlated. In the previous conodont-based papers, the age of the Bahram Formation in the Kerman region was from the upper Givetian hermanni Zone to the middle Famennian Uppermost marginifera Zone (Middle to Late Devonian). However, the new results of this study show that the Bondar section spans from the middle Givetian ansatus Zone to the upper Famennian (middle part of the Middle expansa Zone=Bispathodus aculeatus aculeatus Zone) and the Shahzadeh Mohammad section spans from the middle Givetian ansatus Zone to the lower Famennian (Uppermost crepida=Palmatolepis glabra pectinata) Zone. In both of the studied sections, the Givetian/Frasnian boundary has been identified by the first occurrence of Ancyrodella rotundiloba pristina, but there is no obvious (sedimentological or biostratigraphic) evidence to define the Frasnian/Famennian boundary.

Herein we report on the most abundant and diverse fauna of Palaeozoic crinoids and blastoids collected from Mongolia to date. The fauna is from the Late Devonian (Famennian) Samnuuruul Formation in western Mongolia. The fauna consists of two genera of blastoids and twelve genera of crinoids—four genera of camerates, three genera of flexibles, one disparid genus, and four genera of cladids. The crinoids and blastoids were living on an active island arc complex in the Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB) in a high physical stress environment with frequent and often voluminous pyroclastic eruptions. The Mongolian fauna is similar to coeval faunas collected from the Hongguleleng Formation in western China and supports the hypothesis that the CAOB was a biodiversity hotspot for Famennian echinoderms and a precursor to the very successful echinoderm communities that dominated Mississippian shallow-marine ecosystems globally. Three new taxa are described. Mongoliacrinus minjini, new genus and species, is the oldest member of the Acrocrinidae, previously known from the Mississippian and Pennsylvanian and the first occurrence of the family outside North America. Eutaxocrinus ariunai and Eutaxocrinus sersmaai are new species of the flexible crinoid Eutaxocrinus, a genus with a widespread distribution during the Early and Middle Devonian, which survived into the Lower Mississippian. It is restricted to the CAOB in the Late Devonian.

Information on Devonian and Carboniferous paleosols is limited. In this paper, published data (about 50 sources) on findings of these paleosols mostly on the territory of paleocontinents Laurussia and Pangea are summarized. For visualization of this information, sketch maps of paleosol distribution for Devonian, Mississippian, and Pennsylvanian times have been developed. Their analysis shows that most of Devonian paleosols belonged to the groups of azonal and intrazonal soils; soils of wetlands predominated. The discoveries of Middle and Late Devonian zonal soils—Oxisols and texturally differentiated Alfisols—in the area of Voronezh High (south Russia) are unique. Most of Mississippian paleosols also belonged to azonal and intrazonal soils. The wide distribution of wetland paleosols in the Mississipian subperiod was also reflected in the increased area of coal basins (8% of land in comparison with 1% in Devonian). In the area of the Moscow sedimentary basin, along with Histosols, zonal paleosols—Spodosols and others—have been described. Pennsylvanian soil cover consisted of azonal, intrazonal, and zonal soils. In North America and Western Europe, swampy soils were still widely distributed (22% of land was occupied by coal basins). Oppositely, in the area of the Moscow sedimentary basin, Pennsylvanian paleosols of semiarid and arid ranges with palygorskite as the major clay mineral were widely present. The differentiation of Pennsylvanian soil cover of Laurussia and Pangea reflects the changes in climatic zonality of the planet with an increase in the degree of climatic contrast.

Eurypterids, the so-called sea scorpions, are a group of extinct chelicerates with a diversity of over 250 species. Although the group has a distribution across most of the globe, the majority of taxa are known from the northern Hemisphere. Despite the general palaeontological interest in sea scorpions, Gondwanan—specifically Australian—taxa have received little consideration. To rectify this, we collate data on Australian sea scorpion material from the Gogo, Melbourne and Montys Hut formations, the Humevale and Muttama Creek siltstones and the Wilson Creek Shale. The studied material spans the late Silurian to the late Devonian and highlights a rich Pterygotidae fauna, especially in the state of Victoria. We conclude that presently there is insufficient material to erect new taxa. However, further collecting of material—especially the Wilson Creek Shale and the Montys Hut Formation—will uncover more material to aid in understanding the most southern, Gondwanan eurypterids.

Dikes and sills of dolerites, essexite–dolerites, diorites, monzodiorites, and lamprophyres belonging to the Musyur (Malyi Khanmey) hypabyssal complex (Polar Urals) cut all Ordovician–Middle Devonian oceanic and island arc formations. Based on the geological data and previous isotope dating, the age of this complex is estimated from the end of the Late Devonian to the Early Triassic. The 40Ar/39Ar dating of hypabyssal magmatic bodies (various intrusive phases) of the Musyur complex was performed for the first time for the northern part of the Urals. The following 40Ar/39Ar ages were obtained: 349 ± 3, 347 ± 9, 339 ± 4, 334 ± 3, and 313 ± 10 Ma. They recorded the collision of the Polar Ural island-arc system with the continent of Arct–Laurussia (Arctida + Baltica + Laurentia), which led to the formation of the Carboniferous Early Ural Orogen. The prevailing northwestern (transversely to the supposed orogen) strike of most dikes in the Toupugol–Khanmeyshor area, predominantly the subduction zone geochemical features of the rocks (low and moderate TiO2 contents (0.7–2.1 wt %), P2O5 (0.1–0.8 wt %), enrichment in large-ion lithophile elements (Cs, Rb, Ba, Pb, Sr) compared to high-field-strength trace elements, the Ta–Nb minimum, and Pb and Th–U maxima), and the Early Carboniferous age estimates (349–334 Ma) lead to the conclusion that they probably formed in a syncollisional setting. The orthogonal northeastern (along the orogen axis) strike of some dikes (essexite–dolerites in more southerly regions), significantly higher concentrations of TiO2 (3.1–3.6 wt %), P2O5 (0.6–1.3 wt %), high-field-strength (Ta, Nb) and most rare earth elements (Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Y, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu), which are more typical for rift-related and intraplate igneous rocks, and their Late Carboniferous age (313 Ma) may testify to their emplacement in a post-collision setting.