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METHODOLOGICAL ADVANCES IN THE USE OF FAUNAL GRADIENT ANALYSIS FOR REGIONAL PALEOECOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS IN THE TYPE CINCINNATIAN SERIES (UPPER ORDOVICIAN)

WEBBER, ANDREW JULIAN
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1047068270

Abstract Details

2003, PhD, University of Cincinnati, Arts and Sciences : Geology.
The purpose of this research is to refine established applications of faunal gradient analysis as a tool of regional high-resolution correlation, using the type Cincinnatian Series as a natural laboratory. Comparisons of stratigraphically arranged, quantified faunal patterns have been employed to establish stratigraphic correlations at regional scales, and have provided a foundation for regional paleoecological studies at high resolution. There are three primary objectives to this research: 1) to assess the meaning of fine-scale stratigraphic change in faunal composition; 2) to extend the lateral breadth of correlations for a more regional coverage; and 3) to assess local spatial variation in the distribution of fossils, and examine the effects this patchiness has on the fine-scale signal of biological variation in the Cincinnatian. Results of this work show that lithofacies-defined meter-scale cycles in the Cincinnatian do not correspond with water-depth related stratigraphic trends in biotic composition. Therefore, these cycles are likely not caused by small-scale fluctuations in sea-level. Second, previously established correlations, at scales greater than one meter, can be extended farther across the region, and examining the patterns in biotic composition for small stratigraphic intervals rather than individual strata is a promising technique for drawing correlations at scales of less than a meter. Finally, this research has shown that even though local patchiness and differences in the amount of time-averaging with lithology limits the use of faunal gradient analysis when comparing fine-scale (bed-by-bed) trends of biological variation among Cincinnatian localities, patterns at scales greater than a few beds are robust across the region.
Dr. Arnold Miller (Advisor)
113 p.
Paleoecology; Paleontology
Upper Ordovician; Cincinnatian; correlation; faunal assemblages; paleoenvironmental gradient

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • WEBBER, A. J. (2003). METHODOLOGICAL ADVANCES IN THE USE OF FAUNAL GRADIENT ANALYSIS FOR REGIONAL PALEOECOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS IN THE TYPE CINCINNATIAN SERIES (UPPER ORDOVICIAN) [Doctoral dissertation, University of Cincinnati]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1047068270

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • WEBBER, ANDREW. METHODOLOGICAL ADVANCES IN THE USE OF FAUNAL GRADIENT ANALYSIS FOR REGIONAL PALEOECOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS IN THE TYPE CINCINNATIAN SERIES (UPPER ORDOVICIAN). 2003. University of Cincinnati, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1047068270.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • WEBBER, ANDREW. "METHODOLOGICAL ADVANCES IN THE USE OF FAUNAL GRADIENT ANALYSIS FOR REGIONAL PALEOECOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS IN THE TYPE CINCINNATIAN SERIES (UPPER ORDOVICIAN)." Doctoral dissertation, University of Cincinnati, 2003. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1047068270

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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© 2003, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by University of Cincinnati and OhioLINK.