Intergrowth of chaetetids, Girvanella and Donezella in Pennsylvanian mounds in the Valdeteja Formation, NW Spain

Multiple types of mounds have been described in the Pennsylvanian of the Cantabrian Mountains. In many of them the main component is Donezella Maslov, 1929. This organism was first described as an alga, but its occurrence in dysphotic and aphotic facies led to its inclusion in the order Algospongia,...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Rodríguez Castro, Isabel, Rodríguez García, Sergio
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2025
País:España
Institución:Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM)
Repositorio:Docta Complutense
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:docta.ucm.es:20.500.14352/133074
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/133074
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:551.351
Carboniferous
Cantabrian Mountains
Mounds
Palaeoecology
Algospongia
Carbonífero
Cordillera Cantábrica
Montículos
Paleoecología
Paleontología
2416.02 Paleontología de Los Invertebrados
Descripción
Sumario:Multiple types of mounds have been described in the Pennsylvanian of the Cantabrian Mountains. In many of them the main component is Donezella Maslov, 1929. This organism was first described as an alga, but its occurrence in dysphotic and aphotic facies led to its inclusion in the order Algospongia, which includes organisms of doubtful affinity. Most of the mounds with Donezella from the Cantabrian Mountains previously described in the San Emiliano, Valdeteja and Picos de Europa formations have been identified in ramp or slope facies in dysphotic or aphotic conditions, confirming that it was not an alga. However, mounds 1 to 2 metres thick and 3 to 5 metres in diameter have been located in outcrops near the town of Truébano. The main component is Donezella, but unlike other occurrences, these mounds also contain chaetetids and Girvanella as important components. The latter is considered to be a cyanobacteria and clearly indicative of shallow waters in the photic zone. Chaetetids are typical reef builders and frequent on Devonian and Carboniferous shallow platforms. In the studied mounds, chaetetids occur in association with Donezella, Girvanella, Masloviporidium, Claracrusta and other components, proving that these mounds developed in the photic zone, unlike those when the main component is Donezella.