Tschermakfjellet Formation

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Tschermakfjellet Formation
Stratigraphic range: Early Carnian
~235–221.5  Ma
Keilhauia-1.png
Geologic map with the formation in darker pink
Type Formation
Unit of Kapp Toscana Group
Underlies De Geerdalen Formation
Overlies Sassendalen Group
Thickness63 metres (207 ft) at Tschermakfjellet
Lithology
Primary Sandstones and silty shales
Location
Coordinates 78°30′N15°18′E / 78.5°N 15.3°E / 78.5; 15.3
Approximate paleocoordinates 47°24′N2°06′W / 47.4°N 2.1°W / 47.4; -2.1
Region Svalbard
CountryFlag of Norway.svg  Norway
Type section
Named for Tschermakfjellet (type section from Botneheia)
Svalbard relief location map conic.jpg
Pink ff0080 pog.svg
Tschermakfjellet Formation (Svalbard)

The Tschermakfjellet Formation is a geological formation in Svalbard, Norway, a subunit of the Kapp Toscana Group. The formation dates to the Late Triassic (early Carnian).

Contents

Description

It is named after the mountain of Tschermakfjellet in Dickson Land at Spitsbergen, while its type section is found at Botneheia in Nordenskiöld Land. [1] [2] The formation has provided fossils of invertebrates and of an indeterminate pistosaurid. [3]

Related Research Articles

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Tecovasuchus is an extinct genus of aetosaur. It is known primarily from osteoderms found from the Tecovas Formation in Texas, which is Late Triassic in age, dating back to the lower Norian. Material is also known from several other localities of the Chinle Group in New Mexico and Arizona, such as older Carnian outcrops and younger Rhaetian outcrops. Specimens of Tecovasuchus have been collected from the Tecovas Formation, the Bluewater Creek Formation, and the Los Esteros Member of the Santa Rosa Formation.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antarcticfjellet</span> Arctic mountain range on fhe Svalbard island of Bjørnøya.

Antarcticfjellet is a mountain range at the island of Bjørnøya of the Svalbard archipelago, Norway. The highest peak in the range has a height of 360 m.a.s.l. It is named after the Swedish expedition vessel Antarctic. The mountain range has given name to the geological unit Antarcticfjellet Formation, which is exposed over significant portions of the range.

Alfredfjellet is a mountain at the island of Bjørnøya of the Svalbard archipelago, Norway. It has a height of 420 m.a.s.l. The mountain is named after Swedish geologist and Arctic explorer Alfred Gabriel Nathorst. Geologically, the upper part of the mountain consists of the Permian Miseryfjellet Formation, while the underlying Hambergfjellet Formation displays complete section exposures from the cliffs of Alfredfjellet.

Kapp Dunér is a headland at the island of Bjørnøya of the Svalbard archipelago, Norway. It is the westernmost point of Bjørnøya. The point is named after Swedish astronomer Nils Christoffer Dunér.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">De Geerdalen</span> Valley of Spitsbergen, Norway

De Geerdalen is a valley in Nordenskiöld Land at Spitsbergen, Svalbard. It is named after Swedish geologist and Arctic explorer Gerard De Geer. The mountain pass of Kreklingpasset divides De Geerdalen from Helvetiadalen. The river of De Geerelva flows through the valley, and debouches into Sassenfjorden at Elveneset.

Botneheia is a mountain in Nordenskiöld Land at Spitsbergen, Svalbard. It has a height of 522 m.a.s.l., and is located south of Sassenfjorden, east of the valley of De Geerdalen.

Tschermakfjellet is a mountain in Dickson Land at Spitsbergen, Svalbard. It has a height of 422 m.a.s.l., and is located between the valley of Sauriedalen and Kongressfjellet. The mountain is named after Austrian mineralogist Gustav Tschermak von Seysenegg.

Kapp Toscana is a headland at the southern side of Van Keulenfjorden in Wedel Jarlsberg Land at Spitsbergen, Svalbard. It is named after an Austrian family. West of the headland is the bay of Bourbonhamna, extending from Kapp Toscana to Kapp Madrid. East of the headland is the bay of Ingebrigtsenbukta, extending from Kapp Toscana to Ålesundneset.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geology of Svalbard</span>

The geology of Svalbard encompasses the geological description of rock types found in Svalbard, and the associated tectonics and sedimentological history of soils and rocks. The geological exploration of Svalbard is an ongoing activity, and recent understandings may differ from earlier interpretations.

The Kapp Toscana Group is a geologic group in Svalbard and Jan Mayen in the Barents Sea, Norway.

Land vertebrate faunachrons (LVFs) are biochronological units used to correlate and date terrestrial sediments and fossils based on their tetrapod faunas. First formulated on a global scale by Spencer G. Lucas in 1998, LVFs are primarily used within the Triassic Period, though Lucas later designated LVFs for other periods as well. Eight worldwide LVFs are defined for the Triassic. The first two earliest Triassic LVFs, the Lootsbergian and Nonesian, are based on South African synapsids and faunal assemblage zones estimated to correspond to the Early Triassic. These are followed by the Perovkan and Berdyankian, based on temnospondyl amphibians and Russian assemblages estimated to be from the Middle Triassic. The youngest four Triassic LVFs, the Otischalkian, Adamanian, Revueltian, and Apachean, are based on aetosaur and phytosaur reptiles common in the Late Triassic of the southwestern United States.

References

  1. Harland 1997: p. 349
  2. Buchan 1965: p. 26
  3. Tschermakfjellet, Dickinsonland, Svalbard, early Carnian (Triassic of Svalbard and Jan Mayen) at Fossilworks.org

Bibliography

Further reading