Biostratigraphy

What is biostratigraphy

The use of fossils in stratigraphic correlation

The element of stratigraphy that deals with the distribution
of fossils in the stratigraphic record and the organization and
classification of bodies of rock or rock material of strata into
units on the basis of their contained fossils
the branch of stratigraphy that is concerned with the
spatial and temporal distribution of fossils and fossil-
bearing strata
 PRINCIPLE OF FAUNAL SUCCESSION

observation that
assemblages of fossil plants
and animals follow or
succeed each other in time
in a predictable manner.
Sequences of successive
strata and their
corresponding enclosed
faunas have been matched
together to form a
composite section detailing
the history of the Earth,
FOSSILS

Fossils are preserved

remains or traces of
animal, plants, and other
organisms once present
from the remote past.
 Index fossils
These are fossils used to recognize or identify geologic periods.
Most fossil groups that make good biostratigraphic indicator are:
1. distinctive,
2.widespread,
3. abundant,
4.independent at facies, rapidly evolving
5. short in geologic time
Good index fossils are pelagic sediment
organisms: forams, rads, ammonites, graptolites, pollen, nannofossils
But zones are defined for less-than-ideal organisms, e.g., dinosaurs, clams,
conodonts, trilobies
Index fossils 6

Graptolites (most useful in Ordovician and Silurian)

Conodonts (useful throughout Paleozoic and Triassic)
Ammonoids (useful in Devonian through Cretaceous)
Planktonic forams (useful in Jurassic through Holocene)
Calcareous nannoplankton (useful in Jurassic through Holocene)
Acritarchs/dinoflagellates (useful throughout Phanerozoic)
Index fossils 7

Graptolites (most useful in Ordovician and Silurian)

Conodonts (useful throughout Paleozoic and Triassic)
Ammonoids (useful in Devonian through Cretaceous)
Planktonic forams (useful in Jurassic through Holocene)
Calcareous nannoplankton (useful in Jurassic through Holocene)
Acritarchs/dinoflagellates (useful throughout Phanerozoic)
 Fossils

They are considered to be abundant and characteristic of

key formations
Fossils were once living organisms and as such are
sensitive indicators of past environments, sedimentation
patterns, and their distributions.
Other fossils

REWORKED FOSSILS
Fossils from rocks of one age that have been eroded,
transported, and re-deposited in sediments of a younger
age.
Other fossils

INFILTRATED FOSSILS
Fossils introduced into older or younger rocks by fluids,
through animal burrows or root cavities, or by
sedimentary dikes or diapirs.
Controlling Factors:
Evolution and Paleoecology

Evolution (enabling) is the key to telling time

Paleoecology (limiting) is useful in determining

sedimentary environments
 EFFECTS OF STRATIGRAPHIC
CONDENSATION

Extremely low rates of sedimentation may result

in fossils of different ages and different
environments being mingled or very intimately
associated in a very thin stratigraphic interval,
even in a single bed.
 Biostratigraphic zonation

Biozone is a general term for any kind of

biostratigraphic unit regardless of thickness or
geographic extent.
Stage is defined as a group of strata containing the same
major fossil assemblages.
 Five kinds of biozones

Range
Interval
Lineage
Assemblage
Abundance
Range biozone

It is body of strata representing the known stratigraphic

and geographic range of occurrence of a particular taxon
or combination of two taxa of any rank present in the
rock record
It is bounded by two specific first or last occurrences of
taxa
Divided into two kinds: Taxon-range and Concurrent-
range
Range biozone

TAXON-RANGE
The body of strata representing the known range
of stratigraphic and geographic occurrence of
specimens of a particular taxon.
It is named from the taxon whose range it
expresses
Taxon-Range zone
Range biozone

CONCURRENT RANGE
The body of strata including the overlapping
parts of the range zones of two specified taxa.
A concurrent-range zone is named from both the
taxa that define and characterize the biozone by
their concurrence.
Concurrent-range zone
Interval biozone

The body of fossiliferous strata between two

specified biohorizons.
Such a zone is not itself necessarily the range
zone of a taxon or concurrence of taxa; it is
defined and identified only on the basis of its
bounding biohorizons
Interval biozone
 interval bioZone

Teilzone or Partial zone

The stratigraphic range of the rock unit between the 1st and
last occurrence datum of a particular taxon in a local area
it's an interval zone between the uppermost occurrence of
the short range taxon and lowermost occurrence of the
longer range taxon (without overlapping).
Lineage biozone

The boundaries of a lineage zone are determined by the

biohorizons representing the lowest occurrence of
successive elements of the evolutionary lineage under
consideration.
A lineage zone is named for the taxon in the lineage
whose range or partial range it represents
Lineage biozone
 Assemblage biozone

The body of strata characterized by an assemblage of three or

more fossil taxa that, taken together, distinguishes it in
biostratigraphic character from adjacent strata
The boundaries of an assemblage zone are drawn at biohorizons
marking the limits of occurrence of the specified assemblage that
is characteristic of the unit. Not all members of the assemblage
need to occur in order for a section to be assigned to an
assemblage zone, and the total range of any of its constituents
may extend beyond the boundaries of the zone.
Assemblage biozone
 Abundance biozone

It is also known as peak or acme zone.

The body of strata in which the abundance of a particular taxon or
specified group of taxa is significantly greater than is usual in the
adjacent parts of the section.
Unusual abundance of a taxon or taxa in the stratigraphic record may
result from a number of processes that are of local extent, but may be
repeated in different places at different times. For this reason, the only
sure way to identify an abundance zone is to trace it laterally.
Abundance biozone
PRINCIPAL - Range of One -An Overlap of Ranges
TYPES OF
BIOZONES

Highest GAP
-Lowest
occurrrences ZONE
Biozones occurrrences
(LADs)
(FADs)

may be Gap Biozone

grouped or
subdivided - An Assemblage Zone
is Different - Its usually
a biogeographic group
of three or more taxa

Named for
one or more
distinctive
taxa in it
Kind of zone Definition
Taxon range zone (total) First to last of one species

Concurrent range zone Overlap of taxa, 1st to last of different species

Interval range zone Interval between two species: 1st to 1st, last to last

Lineage (consecutive- 1st appearance within a lineage (commonly used in

range) zone forams)

Assemblage zone Defined on 1st and last of one taxa, characterized by

other taxa
Acme (abundance) zone Abundance peak of one taxa
Time significance

What type of biostratigraphic events make the best

boundaries?
Evolutionary first occurrence (lineage zone)
Immigrational or emigrational events.
 Quantitative Biostratigraphy
Uses a wider range of data than appearance/disappearance:
Abundance peaks
Ratios of species
Based in sophisticated statistics
Correlation analysis (matches patterns of peaks)
Cluster analysis makes groups for assemblage zones
Quantitive Biostratigraphic correlation

Shaws method

Introduced by Alan Shaw in his book Time in Stratigraphy in

1964
Graphic correlation of biostratigraphic data
It is a powerful tool for spotting bad range data, unconformities,
and missing sections, and for interpreting rates of rock
accumulation
Shaws Graphic Correlation Method

What can we do here?

 Shaws Method is to plot
the heights of the fossil
datums in each section
versus each other.
Here, the correlation
line is straight, meaning
there was a constant
offset in sediment
accumulation rates
between the sites

Using the fossil datum

correlation line, any part
of Section A can be
correlated to an
equivalent part of
Section B.
 Shaws Method is to plot
the heights of the fossil
datums in each section
versus each other.

The point at 50 m in A
corresponds in time to the
point at 25 m in B.

The point at 50 m in B
corresponds to 100 m in A!
 Shaws Method is to plot
the heights of the fossil
datums in each section
versus each other.
The point at 50 m in A
corresponds in time to the
point at 25 m in B.

The point at 50 m in B
corresponds to 100 m in A!
So, what exactly is
the relative rate of
sedimentation
between these two
sections?
Answer: y = mx +b
or, rate in A = 2 times rate in B
38

Practical recognition of zones

" Few, if any, biozones are recognizable worldwide

Most organisms live only in a particular biogeographic province
Within a given biogeographic province, organisms only live where the
environment is favorable
39

Biostratigraphic correlation

" Biostratigraphic correlation = procedure by which approximate age

equivalency of strata in separate areas is determined on the basis of
fossils
" Starting point is always determining the local stratigraphic ranges of
taxa in a vertical section of rock
" Then identify zonal boundaries and compare with same at some
distant section of interest
40

Local stratigraphic
ranges and identification
of zonal boundaries
(Pennsylvanian
fusulinids)
41

Accuracy of correlation

" Biostratigraphic correlations almost never are exact time

correlations
Total stratigraphic range of a given taxon is never preserved at any one
locality
Lowest and highest stratigraphic occurrences of a given taxon are
diachronous (time-transgressive) over large areas
" Evolutionary origin followed by dispersal
" Last survivor of a species extinction
42

Accuracy of correlation (cont.)

" Despite shortcomings, zonal biostratigraphy is the most accurate, most

efficient, and most practical method for correlating sedimentary rocks
Intercontinental resolution can approach 0.5 M.y. or better
Intrabasinal resolution even better
Example: 26 conodont zones recognized worldwide in Upper Devonian tropical
carbonate biogeographic province
43

Accuracy of correlation (cont.)

" Best zonations utilize guide or index fossils that exhibit:

Rapid rates of evolution
Widespread geographic distribution
Occurrence in variety of sedimentary facies
Abundant occurrences
" Typically marine, planktonic or nektonic organisms