Renews Head Formation

Renews Head Formation
Stratigraphic range: Ediacaran
TypeFormation
Unit ofSt John's Group
Underlies
OverliesFermeuse Formation
Lithology
PrimaryDark-gray Sandstone
OtherMinor Shale
Location
RegionNewfoundland
CountryCanada

Outcrop occurrence

The Renews Head Formation is a geologic formation in Newfoundland and Labrador. It preserves fossils dating back to the Ediacaran period.

Geology

The Renews Head Formation is primarily composed of laminated dark-gray silty sandstones which weathers to a rusty-brown, alongside thin to medium-bedded sandstones containing minor black shales throughout. There are also thick, cross-bedded laminated gray sandstones, which are structureless in nature, and are inter-bedded with more black shales and thin sandstones. With this, it has been suggested that these layers were deposited in a delta-front environment.

It is overlain by the Cappahayden Formation near the town of Ferryland, and the Gibbett Hill Formation near the city of St. John's. Meanwhile, the formation is gradationally and conformably underlain by the Fermeuse Formation.

Paleobiota

The Renews Head Formation is home to a small range of discoidal forms, like Aspidella, which have been noted to bear faint radial markings similar to Hiemalora. There are also unnamed Sphaeromorph Acritarchs known from this formation.

Color key
Taxon Reclassified taxon Taxon falsely reported as present Dubious taxon or junior synonym Ichnotaxon Ootaxon Morphotaxon

Notes
Uncertain or tentative taxa are in small text; crossed out taxa are discredited.

incertae sedis

Genus Species Notes Images
Aspidella
  • A. terranovica
 Enigmatic discoidal fossil. Specimens from this formation have faint Hiemalora-like radial markings.

Microorganisms

Genus Species Notes Images
Sphaeromorph Acritarchs
  • ???
 Acritarchs.

See also

Bibliography

References

  1. ↑ A.G. Liu; D. McIlroy (September 2014). "Horizontal Surface Traces from the Fermeuse Formation, Ferryland (Newfoundland, Canada), and their Place within the Late Ediacaran Ichnological Revolution" (PDF). Geological Association of Canada - Special Paper (9).[dead link]
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Geoscience Atlas". Geological Survey Division of the Department of Natural Resources, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador.
  3. 1 2 3 "GEOLOGY OF THE AVALON PENINSULA, NEWFOUNDLAND" (PDF).
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Hofmann, H. J.; O'Brien, S. J.; King, A. F. (January 2008). "Ediacaran biota on Bonavista Peninsula, Newfoundland, Canada". Journal of Paleontology. 82 (1): 1–36. doi:10.1666/06-087.1.
  5. ↑ Gehling, James G.; Narbonne, Guy M.; Anderson, Michael M. (September 2000). "The first named Ediacaran body fossil, Aspidella Terranovica". Palaeontology. 43 (3): 427–456. Bibcode:2000Palgy..43..427G. doi:10.1111/j.0031-0239.2000.00134.x.
  6. ↑ Gehling, James G.; Narbonne, Guy M.; Anderson, Michael M. (September 2000). "The first named Ediacaran body fossil, Aspidella Terranovica". Palaeontology. 43 (3): 427–456. doi:10.1111/j.0031-0239.2000.00134.x.
  7. 1 2 O’Brien, S.J.; King, A.F. "EDIACARAN FOSSILS FROM THE BONAVISTA PENINSULA (AVALON ZONE), NEWFOUNDLAND: PRELIMINARY DESCRIPTIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR REGIONAL CORRELATION" (PDF). Newfoundland Department of Mines and Energy. Geological Survey.