Chapter 9 - Late Paleozoic Events

I.	Late Paeozoic Periods
	A.  Devonian (408 - 360 m.y.)
	B.  Mississippian (360 - 320 m.y.)
	C.  Pennsylvanian (320 - 286 m.y.)
	D.  Permian (286 - 245 m.y.)

II.	Overview of Pangaea:  Supercontinent of Late Paleozoic
	A.  Silurian closure of Iapetus:  Caledonian orogeny joined Baltica and Laurentia
	B.  Devonian:  Orogeny continued to south (Acadian orogeny) thus making Laurussia (Baltica and Laurentia)
	C.  Pennsylvanian collision:  Gondwanaland and Laurussia (Hercynian orogeny in
	Europe and Alleghenian orogeny in N. America)
	D.  Late Permian:  End of orogeny - Pangaea complete; Panthalassa = global ocean
	spanning 300 degrees latitude

III.	Late Paleozoic Characteristics
	A.  Continental collisions and recurring orogenesis
	B.  Diverse sedimentation, climatic regions
	C.  Rapid progress in organic evolution; 2 major extinction's
	D.  Widespread colonization by land plants and vertebrates
	    1.  spore-bearing trees and seed ferns
	    2.  amphibians and reptiles
	E.  Cooling near end favored conifers and reptile development
	F.  Vast epicontinental seas
	G.  Adjacent to orogenic mountains:  Vast plains of weathered debris (coal
	swamps)

IV.	Craton of North America (Laurentia)
	A.  Kaskaskia Sequence
	    1.  Oriskany sandstone (eastern U.S.)
	    	a.  initial deposit of transgression over unconformity
		b.  pure, clean sand (glass making ore)
		c.  transgressive over rocks of various ages
		d.  deposits become younger craton-ward
		e.  heavy mineral suites:  Stable and unstable
	    2.  Post-Oriskany, mid to late Devonian strata
		a.  Continental interior:  Willston (MT, SD, Canada)
	    3.  Late Devonian clastics:  Shed off rising Appalachians
		a.  Spread west, becoming finer grained and more marine influenced
		b.  Catskill clastic wedge:  Near mountains (red sands)
		c.  Chattanooga Shale:  In Kaskaskia sea (black shale)
	    4.  End Devonian and Mississippian strata
		a.  massive marine limestones (less clastic input)
		b.  thin clastics above
	    5.  Late Mississippian regression
		a.  widespread erosion and karst development
		b.  intercontinental unconformity
		c.  SW stream flow across interior Laurentia
	B.  Absaroka Sequence
	    1.  Gradual transgression ("time transgressive deposition")
	    	a.  fills karst sinkholes
		b.  deposits thin clastic layers
	    2.  Progressive facies change in initial deposits
		a.  thin marine limestones, shales (western sea)
		b.  mixed near-shore sandstones, shales
		c.  thick clastic wedges (eastern mountain slopes)
	    3.  Unique cyclic sediments (Pennsylvanian):  "Cyclothems" consist of 10 beds
	    between minor disconformities
		a.  shale (marine): Youngest
		b.  limestone (marine)
		c.  shale (marine)
		d.  limestone (marine)
		e.  shale (near-shore)
		f.  coal (swamp)
		g.  gray underclay (lake)
		h.  freshwater limestone (lake)
		i.  sand shale/siltstone (lake)
		j.  sandstone (river deposits):  Oldest
	    4.  Maximum sea level height between b and c above
	    5.  Cyclothem correlation:  Kansas to Pennsylvania
		a.  50 cycles/750m
		b.  covers 1000s km2
	    6.  Origin of cyclothems:  Repeating sea-level rise and fall due to glacial eustasy
		a.  glacial eustasy:  Gondwanaland at S pole with ice cap
		b.  regional subsidence:  Alternative hypothesis
	    7.  Instability in southwestern continental interior:  UT, AZ NM, TX, CO, OK
		a.  "Colorado" mountains (includes Front Range Pedernal, Uncompahgre
		and Zuni-Defiance uplifts)
		b.  "Oklahoma" mountains (Amarillo, Washita, and Arbuckle uplifts)

V.	Eastern Margin of North America (Laurentia)
	A.  Acadian/Caledonian orogeny:  Built northern Appalachian mountains
	    1.  Collision between Baltica and Laurentia
	    2.  Catskill clastic wedge (Devonian)
		a.  sandstone/shale facies document pulses
		b.  pulses due to terrain collisions(3)
	    3.  Avalon terrain - microcontinent colliding with eastern margin N. America;
	    three promontory collisions
		a.  St. Lawrence (mid-early Devonian)
		b.  New York (mid Devonian)
		c.  Virginia (late Devonian)
	    4.  Clastic wedges due to promontory collisions
		a.  Northern Catskill (St. Lawrence)
		b.  Main Catskill (New York)
		c.  Pocono (Virginia)
	    5.  Catskill-Pocono facies in clastic wedges
		a.  non-marine:  Bright red sandstone (streams)
		b.  marine:  brown shale (lagoon), sands (shore), dark shale (deep marine)
	    6.  Catskill equivalent in Europe:  Old Red Sandstone
	B.  Post-Acadian events
	    1.  Kaskaskia sea facies:  spreading west
		a.  limestones (west)
		b.  shales
		c.  coarse clastics (east)
	    2.  Pocono facies:  Younger mimic of Catskill
		a.  black shale (anoxic sea):  West
		b.  shales
		c.  sandstone (shoreline)
		d.  conglomerate (mountain front):  east
	    3.  Fluvial facies:  Channel sandstones cut in gray shales; coal facies
	C.  Alleghanian Orogeny
	    1.  Pennsylvanian to end Permian
	    2.  Northern Gondwanaland collides with Laurussia (N. Africa-eastern U.S. and
	    S. America - Gulf Coast)
	    3.  Builds southern Appalachians and Ouachita mountains, over 1600 km
	    collision zone
	    4.  Due to closure of Iapetus (proto-Atlantic)
	    5.  Characteristic orogenic structures
		a.  vast fold belts (NW overturned and upright anticlines/synclines:  Valley 
		and Ridge Province)
		b.  great thrust faults inclined southeast
		c.  vast metamorphic piedmont region
	    6.  Characteristic post orogenic sediments
		a.  red sandstone and shale (non-marine)
		b.  geometry like Queenston and Catskill clastic wedges
		c.  Examples:  Dunkard and Momogahela Series of eastern U.S.
		(Pennsylvanian - Permian)
	D.  Ouachita Deformation:  Southern Margin
	    1.  Pre-collision sediments (early Devonian-late Mississippian)
		a.  carbonates on shelves of Laurentia and Gondwanaland
		b.  bedded chert in basin center (novaculite)
	    2.  Closing-phase sediments (late Mississippian - late Pennsylvanian)
		a.  carbonate shelves die
		b.  8000 m of greywacke in basin
	    3.  Collision characteristics
		a.  northward thrust faults
		b.  intensive folding
	    4.  Permian - stable time after abrupt end to orogenesis
	    5.  Orogenic mountains today
		a.  Ouachitas (AR, OK)
		b.  Marathon mountains (TX)
		c.  subsurface folding (U.S. Gulf Coast)

VI.	Western Orogeny:  Cordillerian
	A.  Subduction began in Devonian
	B.  Antler Orogeny (late Devonian-Pennsylvanian)
	    1.  Island arc collision with west coast of Laurentia
	    2.  Vast thrust faulting and folding of back-arc sediments (NV, ID)
	    3.  Thick clastic wedges in basins:  UT, WY, CA
	    4.  Volcanism (Mississippian - Permian):  CA, NV, ID, MT, BC
	C.  Later orogenesis:  Due to collision with second island arc (Permian - Early
	Triassic)
	    1.  Cassier (British Columbia)
	    2.  Sonoma (southwestern U.S.)
	D.  Shelf area east of Antler highlands
	    1.  Quiet shallow sea, lowlands
	    2.  Deposition of Grand Canyon area stratigraphy of Permian age:  Stability and
	    transgression
		a.  Kaibab Limestone (shallow marine):  Youngest
		b.  Toroweap Formation (coastal mudflats)
		c.  Coconino Sandstone (eolian sand dunes)
		d.  Hermit Shale (fluvial and lake):  Oldest
	E.  Deep Marine areas east of Antler highlands:  WY, ID, MT
	    1.  Basin till sequence (Phorphoria FM.)
	    2.  Rock types
		a.  chert
		b.  sandstone
		c.  mudstone
		d.  phosphatic shales (mined for fertilizer)

VII.	Northern Europe (Baltica)
	A.  Laurussia formed in Late Paleozoic as Baltica joined Laurentia (Caledonian-
	Appalachian mountains)
	B.  "Old Red Continent" sedimentation from orogenic clastic wedges
	C.  Volcanic activity common:  Many ash beds and lavas
	D.  Climate:  tropical and semi-arid
	E.  Hercynian seaway of S side of Baltic quiet until Late Devonian - Early
	Mississippian
	F.  Hercynian orogeny (=Alleghenian)
	    1.  Structure:  Intensive folding, thrust faulting, granitic intrusions, volcanism
	    2.  Clastic wedge:  Heavily vegetated thus forming "coal measures" of Europe
	G.  Post-Hercynian deformation:  Same timing as phases in southern Appalachians
	and Ouachitas
	H.  Uralian Seaway (east side of Baltica)
	    1.  Began closing mid-Paleozoic
	    2.  Collision forming Ural mountains in Late Paleozoic
	I.  Late Permian high sea level flooded Baltica (Zechstein sea of Russia and
	Europe)

VIII.	Gondwanaland of Late Paleozoic
	A.  Moved across S pole to near equator where it collided with Laurussia
	(Hercynian and Alleghenian orogenies)
	B.  Other marginal orogenies
	    1.  Andean (with S. America)
	    2.  Tasmanian (with eastern Australia)
	C.  Vast glaciers of Pennsylvanian-Permian polar cap
	    1.  Great tillite deposits of S. America, S. Africa, Antarctica, and India
	    2.  Record of 4 glacial advances (330 - 250 m.y.)
	    3.  Two centers of ice accumulation
		a.  southwest Africa
		b.  eastern Antarctica
	    4.  Interglacial stages = cool, damp climates
		a.  thick coals produced
		b.  Glossopteris flora flourished
	D.  Post-glacial continent
	    1.  Vast non-marine red beds (sandstone and shale)
	    2.  Ancestral mammals developed on continent

IX.	Mineral Products
	A.  Fossil Fuels:  Coal, oil, gas
	    1.  Coal - present in all post-Devonian rocks
		a.  Appalachian basin (eastern U.S.)
		b.  Illinois basin (IL, MO)
		c.  European basins
		d.  Permian coals:  China, Russia, India, S. Africa, Australia
	    2.  Oil and Gas
		a.  Devonian reefs of Willison Basikn (Alberta, MT SD)
		b.  Appalachian basin (PA, WV)
		c.  Mississippian-Pennsylvanian basins of mid-continent U.S. and Rocky
		Mountains
		d.  Permian basins and reefs (TX)
		e.  Late Paleozoic basins (North Sea, Europe)
	B.  Sedimentary Deposits
	    1.  Late Paleozoic Na and K salts
	    2.  Late Permian phosphates
	C.  Metallic ores (accompanies volcanism)
	    1.  Hercynian-Alleghenian ores:  Sn, Cu, Ag, Au, An, Pb, Pt
	    2.  Uralian ores
	    3.  Asian orogenic ores:  China, Burma Japan, Malaya