Renews Head Formation

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Renews Head Formation
Stratigraphic range: Ediacaran
Type Formation
Unit of St John's Group [1]
Underlies
Overlies Fermeuse Formation
Lithology
PrimaryDark-gray Sandstone [3]
OtherMinor Shale [3]
Location
Region Newfoundland
Country Canada
Renews Head Formation map.svg
Outcrop occurrence

The Renews Head Formation is a geologic formation in Newfoundland and Labrador. It preserves fossils dating back to the Ediacaran period.

Contents

Geology

The Renews Head Formation is primarily composed of laminated dark-gray silty sandstones which weathers to a rusty-brown, alongside thin to medium-bedded sandstones containing minor black shales throughout. [3] [4] There are also thick, cross-bedded laminated gray sandstones, which are structureless in nature, and are inter-bedded with more black shales and thin sandstones. [4] With this, it has been suggested that these layers were deposited in a delta-front environment. [4]

It is overlain by the Cappahayden Formation near the town of Ferryland, and the Gibbett Hill Formation near the city of St. John's. [2] Meanwhile the formation is gradationally and conformably underlain by the Fermeuse Formation. [2] [4] [5]

Paleobiota

The Renews Head Formation is home to a small range of discoidal forms, like Aspidella , which have been noted to bear faint radial markings similar to Hiemalora . [4] [6] There are also unnamed Sphaeromorph Acritarchs known from this formation. [7]

incertae sedis

GenusSpeciesNotesImages
Aspidella [4]
  • A. terranovica
Enigmatic discoidal fossil. Specimens from this formation have faint Hiemalora-like radial markings.
Aspidella surface.jpg

Microorganisms

GenusSpeciesNotesImages
Sphaeromorph Acritarchs [7]
  • ???
Acritarchs.

See also

Bibliography

References

  1. A.G. Liu; D. McIlroy (September 2014). "Horizontal Surface Traces from the Fermeuse Formation, Ferryland (Newfoundland, Canada), and their Place within the Late Ediacaran Ichnological Revolution" (PDF). Geological Association of Canada - Special Paper (9).[ dead link ]
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Geoscience Atlas". Geological Survey Division of the Department of Natural Resources, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador.
  3. 1 2 3 "GEOLOGY OF THE AVALON PENINSULA, NEWFOUNDLAND" (PDF).
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Hofmann, H. J.; O'Brien, S. J.; King, A. F. (January 2008). "Ediacaran biota on Bonavista Peninsula, Newfoundland, Canada". Journal of Paleontology. 82 (1): 1–36. doi:10.1666/06-087.1.
  5. Gehling, James G.; Narbonne, Guy M.; Anderson, Michael M. (September 2000). "The first named Ediacaran body fossil, Aspidella Terranovica". Palaeontology. 43 (3): 427–456. Bibcode:2000Palgy..43..427G. doi:10.1111/j.0031-0239.2000.00134.x.
  6. Gehling, James G.; Narbonne, Guy M.; Anderson, Michael M. (September 2000). "The first named Ediacaran body fossil, Aspidella Terranovica". Palaeontology. 43 (3): 427–456. doi:10.1111/j.0031-0239.2000.00134.x.
  7. 1 2 O’Brien, S.J.; King, A.F. "EDIACARAN FOSSILS FROM THE BONAVISTA PENINSULA (AVALON ZONE), NEWFOUNDLAND: PRELIMINARY DESCRIPTIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR REGIONAL CORRELATION" (PDF). Newfoundland Department of Mines and Energy. Geological Survey.