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Conodonts from the Fort Scott limestone of Missouri

1931; Cambridge University Press; Volume: 5; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

1937-2337

F Gunnell,

Paleontology and Stratigraphy of Fossils

The Devonian and Carboniferous formations of Missouri and Kansas contain an abundant conodont fauna. From the Fort Scott limestone the writer describes 3 new genera and several new species. Reconnaissance collecting and study of conodonts from Missouri, Kansas, and Oklahoma has shown that they are abundant in the Snyder Creek shale of the Devonian, the Grassy Creek shale, Louisiana limestone, Glen Park formation, Hannibal sandstone, Sylamore sandstone, Bushberg sandstone, and Fern Glen formation of the Mississippian. In the Pennsylvanian, conodonts occur abundantly in the Cherokee, Henrietta, Kansas City, Lansing, Shawnee and Wabaunsee formations, and channel sandstone of uncertain Pennsylvanian age. These minute teeth and scales are also found in the Permian of Kansas. The types of sediments which the writer has found to contain conodonts are in order of abundance shale, sandstone, conglomerate, and limestone. A three pound sample from a shale member of one Pennsylvanian formation contained twelve genera. Although the great'variety of forms from this sample is probably not a true indication of conodont distribution in Carboniferous formations, it does not exaggerate their abundance in some members. Undoubtedly conodonts have large geographic and stratigraphic distribution. It is probably because of their microscopic size and most abundant occurrence in sediments devoid of other fossils that paleontologists have neglected them. Pennsylvanian conodonts consist of minute plates, teeth, and scales most of which are brown in color and show a pearly luster. This assemblage together with the presence of forms which resemble small sharks' teeth is evidence that conodonts are fishes. The evolution of different species in the Mississippian and Pennsylvanian periods was more or less gradational, yet specific differences are numerous.