Marine Micropaleontology 26 ( 1995 ) 3 13-3 18

Larger foraminiferal assemblages from Oligocene platform carbonates, Jamaica: Tethyan or Caribbean?

Edward Robinson Department oj’Geology, University of the West Indies, Kingston 7, Jamaica

Received 21 October 1994; accepted after revision 9 February 1995

Abstract

Rocks of the White Limestone Group of Jamaica, include, in the central part of the island, a succession of mainly miliolid grainstones ( Walderston Limestone Formation), containing sparse gastropod and coral faunas of Oligocene age, part of the middle Tertiary megabank of the northern Nicaragua Rise. The associated larger foraminiferal genera, such as the archaiasinids, Peneroplis, and Pruerhupidionina, together with rare lepidocyclinids, had a tropical, cosmopolitan distribution in the Oligocene. But several important Tethyan forms such as the alveolinids, reticulate nummulitids, Austrotrillina, Cycloclypeus, and, in the lower Oligocene, Heterostegina s.l., have not been reported from Jamaica.

1. Introduction

The Paleogene carbonate platforms of the northern Caribbean contain rich assemblages of larger foramin- ifers. The Eocene assemblages include many genera

and species indigenous to the Western Hemisphere, and

even the northern Caribbean region (Robinson, 1988, 1993; Butterlin, 1988), data on Oligocene faunas are more generalized, perhaps giving the impression at

least, of a significant reduction in foraminiferal diver-

sity (e.g. Poignant and Lorenz, 1985, p. 771). In part this is an artifact of concentration, in previous papers,

on three major groups, the lepidocyclinids, nummuli- tids, and miogypsinids (see references in Robinson and Wright, 1993). Apart from a few reports (Vaughan and Cole, 1941; Seiglie et al., 1977; McFarlane, 1977) Oligocene imperforate genera have been neglected.

2. Geology

The basement rocks of Jamaica (Fig.) are island arc volcanics of Cretaceous age, with minor limestones,

succeeded by Paleocene to early Eocene siliciclastics

and volcanics (Robinson, 1994). Overlying these are

carbonates of Paleocene and middle Eocene to middle

Miocene White Limestone Group. Throughout most of

the Cenozoic, Jamaica formed part of a carbonate plat-

form complex in which shallow banks were separated

by deeper channels (Hose and Versey, 1957; Versey,

1963; Eva and McFarlane, 1985). The complex forms

the easternmost part of the much bigger carbonate plat-

form complex of the northern Nicaragua Rise (Droxler

et al., 1993). At present Jamaica is the only part of this

complex which has been elevated above sea level and

dissected to exhibit the internal nature of the carbonate banks. Two broad White Limestone lithofacies are

recognised, a chalky or micritic, chert-bearing facies

(Montpelier), dominated by planktic microfossils, and

a massive, hard to soft, sometimes dolomitic facies (Moneague) containing macroinvertebrates and larger and smaller benthic foraminifers (Robinson, 1994).

The latter lithofacies includes the Walderston and

Browns Town Limestone Formations of Oligocene age

0377.8398/95/$09.50 0 1995 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved .SSD10377-8398(95)00020-8

314 E. Robinson /Marine Micropaleontology 26 (I 995) 3/3-3/E

7h4

JAMAICA

Fig. 1. Jamaica, showing outcrop of Oligocene Walderston and Browns Town Limestones. Arrows indicate positions of the three reconnaissance

traverses. I = Walderston type section; 2 = Mocha section; 3 = Red Gal Ring section (Robinson, 1974, textfig. I ).

WALDERSTON 6. BROWNS TOWN FORMATIONS

I

ER2564 : :

4 ER0961 la

ER2563 , 1 ~ : iz i / : : : : B i . ,

ER2562 : , I . ~ . ER2561 ER2560 RR2559 ER2557 ER2556

i

ER2558 ER2555 ER2554 ER2553 ER2552 ER2551

I ER2550 m ii E . , : . . . :

Fig. 2. Stratigraphic distribution of some foraminifers and algae from the type Walderston area. Early and mid-Oligocene correspond to the

Rupelian stage; late Oligocene corresponds to Chattian stage. Early and mid-Oligocene were mapped as Walderston Limestone. In Figs, 24, the Walderston is underlain by late Eocene Somerset Limestone (Robinson, 1974).

E. Robinson/Marine Micropaleontology 26 (1995) 313-318

Fig. 3. Stratigraphic distribution of some foraminifers and algae in the Mocha section. Early-mid-Oligocene was mapped as Walderston

Limestone. Overlying unit was mapped as Newport Limestone.

(Fig. 1) The Browns Town is a shelf-edge unit, con- taining coral faunas, associated with a nummulitid/ lepidocyclinid foraminiferal assemblage similar to that of the classical Antigua Limestone of the eastern Car- ibbean, and the Lares Limestone and south coast units

of Puerto Rico (McFarlane, 1977). The Walderston Limestone is a carbonate platform unit consisting

largely of miliolid grainstones and packstones, with a patchy macrofauna that includes high-spired gastro- pods and other molluscs, and corals.

3. Foraminiferal assemblages of the Walderston Limestone

Hose and Versey ( 1957) erected a subdivision of the White Limestone, based on microfacies analysis of

the carbonates, and using larger foraminifers as the

principal index fossils. The Oligocene age of the

Browns Town Limestone was based mainly on the

abundant occurrence of the Lepidocyclina (Eulepi-

dina) undosa group. The Walderston Limestone was

considered to be of late Oligocene age, based on an

assemblage of miliolids, buliminids, and species of

Archaias, Peneroplis, and Spirolina. Versey ( 1963)

later concluded that the Walderston was a lateral equiv-

alent of the Browns Town. McFarlane ( 1977) in a more

detailed study of the Walderston noted the supposedly

Eocene species Fallotella cookei (Moberg) and Pseu- dochrysalidinafloridana Cole in the type Walderston

section, and Fallotella at several other locations in car-

bonates mapped as Walderston. Above this level he

reported, for the first time from the Western Hemi-

316 E. Robinson /Marine Micropaleontology 26 (1995) 313-318

ER395 . . : . : : , : , , . : ~

ER375 : : : : : : i

Fig. 4. Stratigraphic distribution of some foraminifers and algae in the Red Gal Ring section. Early Oligocene was mapped as Walderston

Limestone. The lower division of the late Oligocene was mapped as Browns Town Limestone. The upper division was mapped as Newport

Limestone. Asterisk indicates presence of a single, reworked? specimen.

sphere, the occurrence of horizons containing Praer-

hapydionina delicata Henson, and Indo-Pacific species of Peneroplis.

Three reconaissance traverses by the present author through areas mapped as Walderston Limestone by the

Geological Survey of Jamaica (Fig. 1) yielded larger

foraminifers (Figs. 2-4) which essentially confirm the

findings of Versey and McFarlane. Foraminifers from the type section (Fig. 2) indicate that most of the Wald-

erston is probably lower Oligocene, based on the occur-

rence of F. cookei (here regarded as ranging up into

the lowest Oligocene) and P. delicatu. Assemblages from Sections 2 and 3 of Fig. 1 (Figs. 3 and 4) support

this suggestion and indicate that the Browns Town

E. Robinson/Marine Micropaleonrology 26 (1995) 313--318 317

Limestone either overlies the Walderston, where both units are present (Fig. 4) or is absent (Fig. 3). Throughout central Jamaica the Walderston rests on late Eocene carbonates. The Walderston and Browns

Town in turn are overlain by the mainly lower Miocene Newport Limestone (Robinson, 1994).

4. Discussion and conclusions

The assemblages encountered are unusual, perhaps unique for the Caribbean Oligocene, because they con-

tain elements which had not previously been recorded from the Western Hemisphere, but were widely

reported from the Oligocene and Eocene faunas of the

Middle East and Mediterranean region (Henson, 1950;

Hottinger, 1963; Bonnefous and Bismuth, 1982; Adams, 1984; Adams et al., 1983). Of particular inter- est is the occurrence, in Jamaica, of such species as P.

delicata (Robinson and Wright, 1993, p. 303) and several peneroplids, including P. cf P. glynnjonesi Hen-

son and P. cf P. euolutus Henson (McFarlane, 1977). Archaiasiform species observed in random thin sec-

tions invite comparison with A. asmaricus Smout and

Eames (Robinson and Wright, 1993, p. 305) and Archaias kirkukensis Henson. Whether these species

are true Archaias or not is a problem outside the scope of this paper, but the specific resemblances of the Jamaican forms to those from the Middle East appear

close, based on the available accidental thin sections. On the other hand such characteristic Indo-Pacific

genera as Heterostegina (s.l.), Cycloclypeus, Austro-

trillina, reticulate nummulitids, and possibly alveolin- ids have not yet been recorded from lower Oligocene (Rupelian) strata of the Caribbean region. Heteroste-

gina, as H. ocalana Cushman, is quite widespread in

Caribbean upper Eocene rocks (Cole, 1952)) and reap- pears as the H. antillea species group in the upper Oligocene (Cole, 1957), but its presence in lower Oli-

gocene rocks has not been verified. In conclusion the following observations are made: ( 1) Foraminifers such as the archaiasinids, Pener-

oplis, Praerhapydionina and the lepidocyclinids had a tropical, cosmopolitan distribution in the lower Oligo- cene. Lepidocyclina (s.1.) and mid Tertiary archaiasin- ids appear to have spread from the Western Hemisphere into the Tethyan province in the early Oligocene. Pre- Oligocene records of these groups are centred on the

Americas (Butterlin, 1987; Smout and Eames, 1958). (2) By similar reasoning it may be argued that P.

delicata and, perhaps, certain peneroplid species may have come to the Caribbean from Tethys at about the same time. Bonnefous and Bismuth ( 1982)) for exam-

ple record these forms in the Mediterranean Eocene, whereas they do not appear to have been reported from the Caribbean. But pre-Oligocene records for Praer-

hapydionina and peneroplids in general are not well documented in the Caribbean, as appropriate studies do not seem to have been undertaken. In fact the type

species for Praerhapydionina, P. cubana van Wessem, is a Caribbean species from the Cuban Eocene, and a

number of allied forms have been described from early Eocene or Paleocene beds in southern Mexico (Frost

and Langenheim, 1974; Pecheux, 1984).

(3) Several important Tethyan genera apparently never made it to the Caribbean.

Thus, following the extinction of many Eocene gen-

era (Adams et al., 1986), there seems to have devel- oped an early Oligocene “window” when limited

interchange occurred between the Caribbean and Indo- Pacific, with conditions favouring preferential move-

ment from the Caribbean to the Indo-Pacific.

Acknowledgements

The author thanks two anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments on the original manuscript. Funding to attend the Forams ‘94 conference and to present this paper was provided by a University of the West Indies Study and Travel Grant.

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