Trace and soft body fossils from the Pedroche Formation (Ovetian, Lower Cambrian of the Sierra de Córdoba, S Spain) and their relation to the Pedroche event

The low Lower Cambrian rocks from the Sierra de Cordoba contain one of the best successions in Europe, which consists of well exposed mixed facies with abundant fossil assemblages showing long stratigraphical ranges throughout the Pedroche Formation. These assemblages include diverse Ovetian archaeocyaths, trilobites, small shelly fossils, calcimicrobes, trace fossils and stromatolites. Trace fossils are still poorly known, and thus they are the main objective of this work. Ichnological data are obtained from the Arroyo de Pedroche 1, Arroyo de Pedroche 2 and Puente de Hierro sections. Trace fossils include the ichnogenera Bergaueria, aff. Bilinichnus, Cochlichnus, aff. Cosmorhaphe?, Cylind…

Proposal of a reference section and point for the Cambrian Series 2-3 boundary in the Mediterranean subprovince in Murero (NE Spain) and its intercontinental correlation

The classical lower-middle Cambrian boundary is approximately equivalent with the boundary of the Cambrian Series 2 and 3, which is now in the process of definition by the International Subcommission on Cambrian Stratigraphy. Currently, there are two oryctocephalid trilobite species first appearance data (FAD) that are suggested as possible markers of this level: Ovatoryctocara granulata Tchernysheva, 1962 and Oryctocephalus indicus (Reed, 1910), respectively. Until now neither of these two species has been recorded in the Mediterranean subprovince or Baltica. As a result, in these regions a level potentially correlating with either the FAD of Ovatoryctocara granulata or Oryctocephalus indi…

Witnesses of the early Pliocene sea-level rise in the Manilva Basin (Málaga, S Spain)

The Sierra de la Utrera, a relief in the Manilva Basin (Malaga, SW Spain), shows bored surfaces at different heights above present-day sea level, from 96 m to 287 m. Borings occur in the eastern, central, and western parts of the Canuto de la Utrera, a prominent gorge in the central southern part of the relief excavated in Mesozoic limestones, as well as on the western end of the Canuto Chico, a smaller canyon in the northern part. Pliocene marine deposits fossilized the bored surfaces. Bored boulders of the substrate are embedded in the Pliocene sediments. The traces Gastrochaenolites ispp., Entobia ispp., Caulostrepsis ispp., Circolites kotoucensis, and Ericichnus asgaardi have been ident…

Atopidae (Trilobita) in the upper Marianian (Cambrian Series 2, Stage 4) of Iberia

AbstractNew atopid trilobites are described from the early Cambrian Cumbres beds and Herrerías shale of northern Huelva Province (Andalusia, Spain) and are dated as middle–late Marianian (Cambrian Series 2, Stage 4). New specimens ofAtops calanusRichter and Richter, 1941 are described and the Laurentian speciesPseudatops reticulatus(Walcott, 1890b) is recognized for the first time in the Mediterranean subprovince. The associated trilobite assemblage studied herein suggests an age close to the base of Cambrian Stage 4.

OnCallavia(Trilobita) from the Cambrian Series 2 of Iberia with systematic status of the genus

Olenellid trilobites from the lower Cambrian of the Iberian Peninsula are very scarce and poorly studied, making them difficult to compare with defined species and to include in biostratigraphic and paleobiogeographic analyses. Based on newly collected specimens, we revise the species ‘Callavia? lotzei’ Richter and Richter, 1941 from the ‘Cumbres beds’ of Cumbres de San Bartolomé and the ‘Herrerías shale’ of Cañaveral de León, Sierra del Bujo, and Hinojales (Huelva, Spain), and ‘Paradoxides choffati’ Delgado, 1904 from the Vila Boim Formation of Elvas (Portugal). The new material indicates that Callavia? lotzei is a junior synonym of ‘P. choffati.’ The Iberian species are here assigned to C…

‘‘Distinguishing eustatic and epeirogenic controls on Lower-Middle Cambrian boundary successions in West Gondwana (Morocco and Iberia)’’, by Ed Landing, Gerd Geyer and Wolfram Heldmaier, published in Sedimentology (2006), 53(4), 899-918 - discussion

New data on Marocella (Mollusca, Helcionelloida) from the Cambrian (Series 2–Miaolingian) of the Iberian Peninsula

The present work is an overview of the current knowledge about the genus Marocella on the Iberian Peninsula, describing new specimens from the lower and middle Cambrian (Cambrian Series 2 and Miaol...

Lower Ovetian (Lower Cambrian) trilobites and biostratigraphy of the Pedroche Formation (Sierra de Córdoba, southern Spain)

The low Lower Cambrian rocks from the Sierra de Cordoba, which consist of well exposed mixed facies and abundant fossil assemblages showing long stratigraphic ranges throughout the Pedroche Formation, represent one of the best successions of this age in Europe. The fossil assemblages include diverse Ovetian archaeocyaths, trilobites, small shelly fossils, calcimicrobia, trace fossils and stromatolites. Trilobites are still poorly known, and thus they are the main objective of this work. The trilobites studied originate from three sections. At the Arroyo de Pedroche 1 section, cf. Bigotinella and Bigotina bivallata are replaced towards the top by Lemdadella linaresae, Lemdadella perejoni sp.…

Cerro del Hierro, Spain: the largest exposed early Cambrian palaeokarst

AbstractWe study the largest exposed example of an early Cambrian palaeokarst, associated with laterites and developed during rifting of the Ossa–Morena Zone. The lithostratigraphy, biostratigraphy, facies and the genesis reflect episodes of sea-level fall (Cerro del Hierro Regression) related to tectonic events and palaeoclimate. This palaeokarst can be primarily considered as the result of early Cambrian polyphase karstification in an extensional tectonic regime, later modified by Neogene–Quaternary geomorphological processes. The event may correlate with other regressive events of a similar age in Spain, Italy, United Kingdom, South America and Australia. This episode also has local name…