New Upper Triassic Conodont Biozonation of the Tethyan Realm

Abstract

Conodonts are biostratigraphically very important microfossils in the Upper Triassic, occurring in different marine habitats, from deep-ocean to shallow-shelf waters. Because of their great abundance, worldwide distribution, strong resistance to rock metamorphism, and mineralogical composition that makes them reliable tools for biostratigraphic and geochemical studies, conodonts have proven to be important tools in defining the Geological Time Scale (GTS) and Global Stratotype Section and Points (GSSPs). We present here an original Upper Triassic conodont biozonation for the Tethyan Realm integrated, where possible, with ammonoid and radiolarian zones, providing also numerical ages for stages and substages. Based on the most recent conodont biostratigraphic and systematic studies, we propose a subdivision of the Upper Triassic interval into 22 conodont zones (nine for the Carnian, ten for the Norian, and three for the Rhaetian), correlated, where possible, with the most recent North American conodont zonations. Discussions on the most biostratigraphically important conodont taxa are also provided, in particular for the stratigraphic intervals around the base of the Norian and Rhaetian stages, the GSSPs of which have yet to be defined. In this view, we provide data supporting the validity of conodonts as reliable tools for global correlations, recommending two conodont biovents as possible primary biomarkers: the FAD (First Appearance Datum) of Metapolygnathus parvus for the base of the Norian and the FAD of Misikella posthernsteini for the base of the Rhaetian. The conodont species Norigondolella carlae n. sp. from the upper Tuvalian (Carnian) is also defined.