PALYNOLOGICAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE CHRONOZOGY AND STRATIGRAPHY OF THE HARTFORD BASIN IN CONNECTICUT AND MASSACHUSETTS

PALYNOLOGICAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE CHRONOZOGY AND STRATIGRAPHY OF THE HARTFORD BASIN IN CONNECTICUT AND MASSACHUSETTS BRUCE CORNET ALFRED TRAVERSE Department of Geosciences The Pennsylvania State University University Park, Pennsylvania 16802 ABSTRACT Recent discoveries of palynoflorules at numerous localities in the Newark Group basins of the eastern United States provide new evidence for correlation of deposits in these basins Floras from the Shuttle Meadow and Portland Formations of the Newark Group rocks in the Hartford Basin of Connecticut and Massachusetts indicate that the Triassic-Jurassic boundary is located within the rocks of this basin: a shift of Corollina from more than 90% C meyeriana to more than 90% C torosus occurs somewhere between the Shuttle Meadow and Portland Formations and generally indicates a Rhaeto-Liassic age In the Shuttle Meadow Formation, the overall shape of the palynoflora (particularly the presence of Convolutispora klukiforma), associated fish, paleomagnetic data, and radiometric dates, as well as megafossil evidence of Brachyphyllum scotii and Clathropteris meniscoides, support a basal Liassic age for this formation Reptilean evidence in older strata of the Hartford Basin suggests that the Triassic-Jurassic boundary may lie just below the Shuttle Meadow Formation In addition the Portland Formation contains a palynomorph association clearly favoring early to middle Liassic age Comparisons are made on the basis of studies of recently discovered Newark Group palynoflorules of early Liassic age from Virginia and of Carnian-Norian age from New Jersey Paleobotanical and geological evidence is summarized, showing that the predominantly Corollina (Hirmerella) palynofloras of the Hartford Basin were associated with a warm, seasonally wet and dry climate, and casting doubt on the idea that Corollina-producing plants composed a swamp association within the original basin Twenty-seven genera and 42 species are described, as are spore and pollen type of uncertain taxonomic position Eight new species are described: Camerosporites reductiverrucatus n sp., Corollina murphyi n sp., Cycadopites andrewsii n sp., Cycadopites durhamensis n sp., Cycadopites westfieldicus n sp., Dictyophyllidites paramuensteri n sp., Foveosporites agawamensis n sp., Verrucosisporites cheneyi n sp Six new combinations are proposed: Araucariacites punctatus (Nilsson) comb nov., Callialasporites segmentatus (Balme) comb nov., Corollina itunensis (Pocock) comb nov., Corollina simplex (DanzéCorsin & Laveine) comb nov., Cycadopites reticulatus (Nilsson) comb nov., Granulatisporites infirmus (Balme) comb nov The genera Circullina and Corollina are formally emended, as are the species Corollina torosus (Reissinger) Klaus and Circulina simplex Malyavkina INTRODUCTION Recent discoveries of palynomorphs in most of the major Newark Group basins of the eastern United States (Text-fig 1) provide new evidence for correlating Newark Group strata with European TriassicJurassic type sections The Hartford Basin TEXT-FIGURE "Newark" basins of eastern North America Asterisks indicate basins in which palynoflorules have been found palynofloras of Connecticut and Massachusetts (Text-fig 2) provide at present the most comprehensive data for upper Newark Group correlation, and form an assemblage different from Triassic assemblages of other Newark Group basins The Hartford Basin assemblage is largely Early Jurassic in age; it is not restricted to this basin, but is also present in the Newark Basin of New Jersey and the Culpeper Basin of Virginia The recognition of Jurassic deposits in the Newark Group (Cornet et al., 1973), which until recently has been considered entirely Triassic, is not new As early as 1855, E Hitchcock, Jr., presented paleobotanical and geological evidence for a possible Rhaeto-Liassic age range for the Hartford Basin sediments Several other geologists and paleontologists of the mid-1800s speculated that the deposits of the Hartford Basin extend into the Jurassic, but no convincing evidence was then available Newberry (1888) described a small megafossil flora from the Connecticut Valley but considered it Rhaetian Since then reptilean and fish remains have been interpreted as indicating only a Late Triassic age (Reeside et al., 1957) Recently Reeve and Helsley (1972), in attempting to explain the paleomagnetic discrepancy between the upper portion of the Chinle Formation, New Mexico, and the igneous rocks of the upper Newark Group, suggested a post-middle Rhaetian, but pre-Pliensbachian age for much of the upper portion of the Newark Group The palynofloras from the Shuttle Meadow and Portland Formations of the Hartford Basin largely confirm this suggestion, indicating that the Triassic-Jurassic boundary exists within the strata of this basin TEXT-FIGURE Hartford and Deerfield basins of Connecticut and Massachusetts Numbers 1-13 indicate palynoflorule localities discussed in this paper Middletown, Conn., is at Locality 13 North Guilford is just south of Locality HARTFORD BASIN STRATIGRAPHY The Hartford Basin sediments and igneous rocks are divided into four sedimentary and three volcanic formations or units The lowest formation, the New Haven Arkose, has been computed to have a maximum stratigraphic thickness of 2600 m near the eastern edge of the basin, decreasing to around 1500 m near the western edge (Krynine, 1950) (Text-fig.3) The Talcott Formation conformably overlies the New Haven Arkose in southern Connecticut, but TEXT-FIGURE Stratigraphic units of the Hartford Basin, showing their relative position and the stratigraphic location of palynoflorule localities 1-13 (cf Text-fig 2) This is a restored composite section from multiple sources, representing generalized North (left)-South (right) trends The double line to the left of Gaillard Graben indicates a fault, but because of restoration, no displacement is shown along the fault Locality has the same position as Locality and has therefore been omitted apparently it is missing in northern Connecticut and Massachusetts In most of southern Connecticut, the Talcott is a single basalt flow of variable thickness (30-75 m) Sanders (1970) has shown that within the Gaillard Graben, which is restricted to the southeastern part of the basin, the Talcott Formation exists as four lava-flow units interbedded with three sedimentary units, totaling about 305 m The Gaillard Graben has been interpreted as a post-depositional structure (Sanders, et al., 1963, p 11) However, the existence outside the Graben of only one (the lowest?) lava flow suggests that penecontemporaneous erosion removed much of the once continuous Talcott Formation before deposition of the overlying Shuttle Meadow Formation, and the Talcott was preserved in the graben as a result of downward displacement of sediments in the graben before the erosional cycle began On the other hand, the absence in northern Connecticut and Massachusetts of basalt units referable to the Talcott might indicate only that the basalts did not extend that far north However, it seems reasonable that 300 m of superimposed volcanic cones in Mt Hitchcock in northern Massachusetts (Bain, 1941) may be related to the lava flows of the Gaillard Graben, judging from stratigraphic position and thickness The Shuttle Meadow Formation, like the Talcott Formation, varies considerably in thickness and in extent over the basin In the southernmost part of the basin, within the Gaillard Graben, the Shuttle Meadow Formation reaches its maximum thickness of about 270 m (Sanders, 1970) The formation steadily decreases in thickness northward: 170 m in North Guilford, Conn.; 94 m near Middletown, Conn.; 94 m at type section, New Britain, Conn.; 30 m in Farmington, Conn.; 15 m near Simsbury, Conn (Krynine, 1950; Lehmann, 1959; Schnabel, 1960) The upper part of the formation appears to be the most extensive North of Simsbury the Talcott basalt disappears, and the Shuttle Meadow Formation, if it continues north, would be recognized as the uppermost part of the New Haven Arkose in northern Connecticut and Massachusetts The Holyoke lava-flow unit conformably overlies the Shuttle Meadow Formation in Connecticut, and the New Haven Arkose and Hitchcock volcanics in Massachusetts This unit, consisting of at least two lava flows, ranges in thickness from 120 to 170 m over most of the basin, but it has been recorded under 92 m near the eastern and northern edges of the basin (Bain, 1941) The East Berlin Formation conformably overlies the Holyoke lava-flow unit, and appears to thicken both northward and southward from its minimum thickness near Avon, Conn.: 326-458 m in the Gaillard Graben, Branford, Conn.; 170-180 m near Middletown, Conn.; 140-150 m near Avon, Conn.; 250 m near Westfield, Mass (Krynine, 1950; Lehmann, 1959; Schnabel, 1960; Colton and Hartshorn, 1966; Sanders, 1970) In the northern part of the basin, the upper part of the East Berlin Formation interfingers with the Granby Tuff and local lava flows (Brophy et al., 1967) These volcanics and pyroclastics contain at least one flow that apparently is continuous with the Hampden lava-flow unit (Bain, 1941) The Hampden lava-flow unit conformably overlies the East Berlin Formation and ranges in thickness from 18 to 60 m Much of this variation in thickness seems to be the result of differences in the number of internal units or flows, which varies from two to eight (Chapman, 1965) In southeastern Connecticut a 12 m sedimentary unit has been found separating two flows (Sanders, 1970) The Portland Formation, which conformably overlies the Hampden lava-flow unit and interfingers with some of the Granby Tuff (Bain, 1941), has a maximum thickness of more than 2000 m in Massachusetts The "Chicopee shale" and "Longmeadow sandstone" are here considered as local members, at present recognized only in Massachusetts In Connecticut, where reported thickness rarely exceeds 920 m, post-depositional faulting and erosion are responsible for removing much of this formation DESCRIPTIONS OF PALYNOFLORULE LOCALITIES Of the 13 palyniferous localities thus far discovered in the Hartford Basin (Text-fig 2, 3), have been selected as palynoflorule localities for purposes of formal description in this paper Samples from the remaining localities have yielded the same species of palynomorphs that are found at the formally described localities Palynoflorule Locality No Formation: Upper New Haven Arkose Stratigraphic position: 116 ± m below Holyoke lava-flow unit Geographic location: Massachusetts; Hampden County, 2.5 km south of Mt Tom, just west of Holyoke; roadcut on Southampton Road, 2.65 km east of junction with Country Road Palyniferous horizon: Tan to dark gray siltstone, 3-m-thick fossil plant bed situated within a 4.7+-m-thick sequence of orange to tan coarse sand stone and conglomerate Remarks: Plant bed has produced dozens of well-preserved Clathropteris meniscoides Brongniart fronds and Equisetites stems Palynoflorule Locality No Formation: Shuttle Meadow Formation Stratigraphic position: 100 ± m below Holyoke lavaflow unit Geographic location: Connecticut; New Haven County, North Guilford; stream outcrop on east side of Totoket Mountain, 825 km north of Bluff Head Palyniferous horizons: Thin layers of gray micaceous silty shale just below and m above l-m-thick lake bed containing abundant fossil fishes; additional layer 4.5 m above lake bed, consisting of variegated greenish gray to red, poorly bedded silty claystone interbedded within a red siltstone and silty shale sequence Remarks: See Cornet et al (1973), for more detailed description of section Palynoflorule Locality No Formation: Lower Portland Formation Stratigraphic position: 257± m above Hampden lava-flow unit Geographic location: Connecticut; Middlesex County, just west of Cromwell; neat top of ravine, overlooking Chestnut Brook and Connecticut Route Palyniferous horizon: 8-cm-thick lens of greenish gray, silty shale, which is part of a micaceous, arkosic sandstone sequence with numerous dinosaur foot-prints Remarks: Palyniferous horizon apparently thickens to 38 cm about 100 m upstream in Chestnut Brook Palynoflorule Locality No 11 Formation: Middle Portland Formation Stratigraphic position: 1100 ± m above Hampden lava-flow unit, provided no major faults exist Geographic location: Massachusetts; Hampden County, Agawam; cliff exposure on south bank of Westfield River, next to Bridge Street bridge Palyniferous horizons: beds of dark gray siltstone and shaly siltstone interbedded with brown-red siltstone and sandstone Remarks: Cliff sequence measures 16 m thick, with an average interval of 2.3 m between palyniferous horizons SYSTEMATIC PALEONTOLOGY Samples were prepared using standard HF-maceration and ZnCl2 separation Glycerin jelly was used as mounting medium Type specimens are deposited in the palynological collection at the Pennsylvania State University The assignment of specimens to species previously described in the literature is based on or more specimens If less than specimens are described, and comparison with an established species indicates affinity, our specimens are compared to that species (The notation "cf." is used in such cases However, "cf." also is used in some instances where more specimens are available but doubt as to exact affinity still exists.) A new species is proposed only if 10 or more specimens are described and if the specimens constitute a coherent group distinct from any already in the literature If less than 10 specimens are described for a new form, it is given a reference number; for example, sp or Spore A The median rather than the mean is given for unimodal and relatively non-skewed site ranges For skewed or very broad size distributions, mean and mode are also given Abundance of a species at a given locality is indicated by the following terms: rare (less than 1%), scarce (1-3%), common (4-10%), abundant (11-40%), and dominant (41-100%) A question mark indicates that rare, poorly preserved specimens are present, or that at a certain cited locality there is some doubt as to affinity of the specimens concerned Location of type specimens is given with reference to an "X" scratched on the upper surface of the slide, per Traverse (1958) The terms intrastructure and intrastructural are used in descriptions for internal features of exines because "infrasculpture" confuses structure (internal) and sculpture (external), and "infrastructure'' has been used in other senses Genus Anapiculatisporites Potonié & Kremp 1954 Type species: Anapiculatisporites isselburgensis Potonié & Kremp 1954 Anapiculatisporites cf A dawsonensis Reiser & Williams 1969 Plate 2, figure Description: See Reiser and Williams, 1969, p Remarks: One specimen measures 44 pm in diameter Locality: Portland Fm 11 (rare) Genus Converrucosisporites Potonié & Kremp 1954 Type species: Converrucosisporites triquetrus (Ibrahim 1933) Potonié & Kremp 1954 Basionym: Verrucosisporites triquetrus Ibrahim 1933 Converrucosisporites cameronii (de Jersey 1962) Playford & Dettmann 1965 Plate 2, figures 3-8 Verrucosisporites cameronii de Jersey, 1962, p 6, P1 2, fig 2, Triletes hungaricus Venkatachala & Góczán, 1964, p 210, P1 1, fig 1~14 Conbaculatisporites densus Mädler, 1964, p 175, Pl 1, fig Converrucosisporites cameronii (de Jersey) Playford & Dettmann, 1965, p 136, Pl 12, fig 11-13 C luebbenensis Schulz, 1967, P· 561, P1 2, fig 15-17; P1 25, fig C minor Pocock, 1970, p 47, P1 8, fig 4, 5, Emended description (more than 500 specimens): Isospores radial, trilete Amb usually subaiangular with broadly rounded apices and sides slightly concave to slightly convex; amb sometimes subspherical Laesurae extend almost to, but rarely reach, equaterial margin, and are usually bordered by narrow, slightly elevated lips Kyrtomes prominently to weakly developed, not always present Laesurae frequently bordered by arcuate folds concave toward proximal pole Exine variably sculptured with a mixture of rounded or blunt-topped verrucae, large and small bacula, broad and narrow-based coni, rate clavae, and grana (grana comprising less than 50% of sculpture: compare description of Granulatisporites infirmus (Balme) comb nov.) Sculpture comprehensive, although usually more scattered and reduced proximally Distal and equatorial sculpture randomly spaced, distance between larger elements frequently greater than their diameter Bases of sculptural elements usually joined to form a low, imperfect ridge system or incipient reticulum When elements are large and closely spaced, many are fused into elongate, irregular tugae Sculpture usually dominated by type: verrucae 0.8-1.8 um in diameter and height, bacula 0.8-1.4 um high, coni 0.5-1.0 um high, and clavae about 1.0 um high Exine 0.4-0.8 um thick (exclusive of sculpture), single-layered Equatorial diameter (60 specimens) ranges from 33 um to 51 um (median 42 um), 90% of grains between 36 um and 49 um· Remarks: Specimens of this study compare very closely with C cameronii from Australia, as well as with the spore of Clathropteris meniscoides Brongniart figured by Harris (1931, Pl 18, fig 3) The largest sculptural elements of the Australian form differ slightly from those of specimens from the Hartford Basin in being taller and conate rather than blunt and verrucate The list of synonyms contains species that appear to be largely dominated by one type of sculpture: Triletes hungaricus with broadly based coni, Conbaculatisporites densus with closely spaced bacula, Converrucosisporites luebbenensis with verrucae and "truncae," and Converrucosissporites minor with broad verrucae Numerous specimens from locality closely compare with these species Rather than divide what appears to be a natural species into morpho-species, all of which would overlap in size and sculptural variation, species are used that encompass the wide variation in sculpture with the least amount of overlap: to C toroJus The minor constituents of the Portland Formation assemblage include several good Liassic or Jurassic indicators, such as Carollina itzlnensir, Callialasporites C dampieri, CaLLzalasporites trilobatt~s, Araz~cariacites fissz~s, Cycadopites reticulatzls, Perotrilete~ P pselldoreticlllatzls, LRptole~iditeJ cf L major, and Gleicheniidites cf G ·nilssonii The overall composition of the flora compares well with that of the Liassic (Balme, 1857; Couper, 1358; Nilsson, 1958; Wall, 1365; Schulz, 1967; Reiser and 'Williams, 1363; Pocock, 1370; Volkheimer, 1971; Volkheimer, 1972; Antonescu, 1373), particularly in the dominance of Corollina torosus and the presence of Corollina itzlnensiJ, C meyeriana, Araucariacites australiJ, A,Fssus, Cycadopites deterizlJ, C reticsclattcJ,'C janJonii, AliJporites thomasii, Pityopollenites pallidus, Platysaccus P lopJiensis, PerinopoLleszites elatoides, Callialasporites spp., GranulatiJporiteJ infirmus, ConveP·PucosiJporiteJ cameronii, Todisporites rotundiformis, Gleicheniidites cf G rrzilssonii, LRptolepidktes sp., and HarrisiJpo~a sp Even though many of these palynomorphs are long ranging and not good index fossils, together they make up a flora unlike any flora reported from the Triassic In contrast to those of the Upper Triassic, palynofloral assemblages of the Liassic are relatively uniform, both geographically and chronologically Although new species appear throughout the Liassic, floral change is gradual, with a number of plant types forming dominant associations over wide geographic areas Minor floral constituents seem to be the most variable Several good index spores and pollen have been recognized, such as certain species of Dictyotriletes, ContzgniJporiteJ, and Callialasporites When present in significant amounts (generally greater than 1%), these forms can be used to distinguish the upper part of the Liassic from the lower and middle parts Antonescu (1973) reported the presence in very small amounts of several characteristic upper Liassic palynomorphs in the middle Liassic of Rumania: Callialasporites and Leptolepidites The rare occurrence at our Locality 11 of CallialaJporiteJ C dampieri, CallialasporiteJ trilobatzls, Leptolepidites PL ATE 7 Carmerosporites reductiverrucatus n sp (Holotype) Locality II, fj4Clm C reductiverrucatus n sp Locality 11; composite photograph of two focal levels, 46Ccm-561~m C reductiverrucatus n sp Locality 1, ~um C reductiverrucatus n sp Locality 11, 58tcm C reductiverrucatus n sp Locality 11, uiradiate fold present; distal part of grain missing, 33CLal· Araucariacites fissus Reiser & Williams Locality 11, 30CLm· A, fissus Locality 11, 76tGm PLATE Cycadopites reticukr~us (Nilsson~ comb nov Locality C retict~latzls~ (Nilsson) comb nov Locality 11, 48~m (under oil) C retictilatzis (Nilsson) comb nov Locality 5, 32CLm wide (under oil) C~L-crdopites z~~e.rtfEelclic/rs n sp (Holotype) Locality 11, GOE~Lm u~esif~elrlicus n sp Localit)r 11, ~O~m (under oil) C rceJrf;rldicNs n sp Localit)r 1, (,0 CLm(under oil) Cycadopites C janJonii Pocock Locality ~, 36~m C~~cadopitss C.iansonii Localir)· ~, 35~Lm Cycado~iles C.iansonii Locality ~, 46CLm 10 C3,cadopites deterius (Balme) Pocuck Locality 5, 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 48~m C deteri~s Locality 11, I~m C dett·ri~s Locality ~, Tl~m~ Cycadopites durhamensis n sp (Holotype) Locality 1, 26~Lm C dllrhamenJis n sp Locality 1, 28~m C dtirhamensis n sp Locality 1, 29Ccm C~lcadopites sp Locality 8, 4SjCLm· Cycado~ites andrewsii n sp Locality 8, S.E.M.; 34CLm C annrewsii n sp locality 8, 37ctm C andrewsii n sp Locality 8, 341~Lm C andrewsii n sp (Holotype) Locality 8, ~7cLm C andrewsii n sp Locality 8, 42CLm cf L niirlor, and C~rOllind zt~nensis, generally not reported below the upper Liassic, suggests that the middle part of the Portland Formation is perhaps Pliensbachian or youn~er in aae Dictyotriletes spp (Pi 1, fig 4-6) and Convolz~tispora ~luRiforma are present in the Hartford and Culpeper basins in strata presumed to be older than the Portland Formation, Such an occurrence strongly favors an early to middle Liassic age for much of the Portland Formation (Text-fig 5) The upper part of the Portland is as yet unsampled, but based on stratigraphic thickness, this part of the formation could well be upper Liassic Galton (1971) compared the prosauropods Anchisaurus and AmmosaurEls, and the primitive crocodile StegomoJuchzcs of the upper Portland Formation with closely related reptiles of the Navajo Sandstone of northeastern Arizona, suggesting that these formations were closely contemporaneous Galton, on the basis of previous authors, presumed the Portland Formation to be Upper Triassic, and therefore suggested that the Navajo Sandstone might also be Triassic However, most previous investigators have assigned a probable Early to Middle Jurassic age to the Navajo (Galton, 1971, p 791, Text-fig 13) If the sedimentation rate mentioned above for the lower Brunswick Formation can be applied to the 2000+m of Portland Formation, a minimum 6.25 m.y duration would be indicated This would be less than the extent of time indicated by palynological evidence, suggesting that the average rate of sedimentation for the Portland Formation was about half that given by Van Houten (1363) for the Brunswick Formation Comparison of similar types of sediment were made for sections of the lower Brunswick Formation along the Delaware River, N.J., and the Portland Formation along the Connecticut and Wesfield rivers, Mass Pdleoecology Several types of environment for source plants have been proposed for assemblages dominated by Corollina pollen, particularly C torosus: (1) coastal swamp habitat to account for Corollina pollen in offshore marine deposits and poor Corollina representation in back delta environments (Hughes and Moody-Smart, 1367); (2) coastal or lagoonal environment under dry climatic conditions to account for sediments rich in Corollina, laterally associated with strata containing marine microplankton assemblages in one direction, laterally grading to strata rich in Monosulcites-type pollen in the other direction (Pocock and Jansonius, 1961; Venkatachala and Gocza'n, 1964); (3) upland sandy slope environment with source plant tolerance of drought conditions (Vakhrameev, 1970) Occasional association of megafossils of Corollina- producers with Equisetites, or of Corollina pollen with Equisetites and articulate spores, is not significant enough to suggest any particular environmental relationship (Batten, 1973) Similar associations occur in the Hartford Basin, and we suggest that Corollina pollen, because of relatively high density, probably reached some of the same sites of deposition largely through river drainage systems, as did Equisetites A similar course of transportation could easily account for the dominance of small, broken fragments of Hirmerella and Brachyphyllum at many megafossil localities The sediments of the central area of the basin are predominantly fine grained Many of these sediments were probably deposited in variable, shallow to deepwater lakes, as evidenced by turbidites, slumps, and dark, gray black shales and siltstones within reddish brown shale and siltstone sequences (Sanders, 1368), locally containing horizons with reptilean footprints Since no known evidence of paleosols or root penetration zones exists in these finer grained deposits, and a large footprint excavation (Rocky Hill Dinosaur State Park, Conn.) indicates extensive mudflat conditions, it is safe to assume that Corollina producers did not frequently grow there, Predominantly coarse-grained sediments in the marginal parts of the basin support fluvial origin (Krynine, 1950) It is possible that Corollina producers grew on these fans and deltas, thus supporting, in part, Vakhrameev's sandy slope environment It is interesting that this fluvial environment also suggests an association with small basin swamps, lakeside habitats, and lagoons However, it is difficult to envision a relatively pure population of Corollina producers restricted to the basin Corollina accounts for more than 30% of the palynoflora in sediments from large areas (in absolute terms, non-Corollina palynomorphs are usually less than 350 per gram of sediment), and there not seem to be sufficient areas of potential Corollina- producer environments in the basin proper to account for the masses of pollen found The absence of true coals and scarcity of coniferous megafossils in the basin argue against extensive swamps such as those dominated by Taxodium or Rhizophora today The dominance of Corollina producers in the younger sediments of the Culpeper, Newark, and Hartford basins suggests that a large geographic area was covered by this assemblage Others have suggested that dominance of Corollina pollen probably indicates close proximity of marine or coastal environments (Pocock and Jansonius, 1961; Wall, 1965; Batten, 1373) Some previous authors (Pocock and Jansonius, 1361; Venkatachaia and Gdcza'n, 1964; Vakhrameev, 1970) have claimed that Corollina pollenproducers occurred in regions with generally arid to semiarid climatic conditions, but have not given convincing evidence to support this opinion However, the source plants show no convincing xeromorphic adaptations microphyIly by itself is not necessarily such an adaptation Furthermore, Krynine (2850) proposed a warm, humid savanna climate, witha heavy but seasonally distributed rainfall and a dry season of two or three months for the Hartford Basin Recent recognition of microlaminated (varved) micritic lake beds in the Shuttle Meadow Fm., probably produced in a meromictic lake under the influence of a seasonal climate (Comet, et al., 1373), might support Krynine's wet-dry climatic interpretation It is highly improbable that the Hartford Basin flora, which includes many kinds of cryptogams (based on spore diversity), including large-leaf forms of Clathropteris, and has few known representatives with well-developed xeromorphic cuticular adaptations, could tolerate long periods of aridity Acknowledgments The authors acknowledge the support of The National Science Foundation (Earth Sciences Section, grant number GA-36870) for all phases of this project We also acknowledge the generous advice on field problems and stratigraphic correlation, as well as in location of palyniferous zones, of P E Olsen, Yale University Professor Donald Baird, Princeton University, has provided us with the sample designated No 11, from the Newark Basin Professor F G Van Houten, Princeton University, read portions of the manuscript and suggested useful improvements R~erences ANTONESCU, E., 1~73, QNElyNes donne'es sur ki PL?1~'120laRje du Lias soils faCi~J de G res te n de R(,s( malzie Palynology of Mesophyte, 3rd Internat Palyn Conf., Proc., p ~ ~-5 BAER, F M and MARTIN, W H., 15)48, Some neu' finds offossil Ranoids in the I/irginia Tviassic: Science, v 110, n 2863, p 684-686 BAIN, G.'W., 1~41, The Holyoke Rtrnge and Connecticut I/L/lley structure: Amer Jour Sci~, v 2~9, p 261-27r BALME, B E., 13~7, Spores and pollen grains from the MeJozoic of western Alrlstral;a: C.S.I.R.O (Australia), Coal Res Sect., T.C., v 25, 48 p BALME, B E and HENNELLY, J P F., 1~56a, Monolete, monocolpate, and alete sporomorphs front A//stralian PL·rmian sediments= Austral Jour Bet., v 4, p 5j4-67 13SGb, Trilete sporomorphs from A//stralian PL·rmian sediments= Austral Jour Bet., v 4, p~ 240-260 BARNARD, P D.'W., 1~68, A new species ofMasculostrobus Seward Producing Classopollis pollen from the JNrassic of Iran= Jour Linn Sec (Bet.), v 61, n 384, p 167176 BATTEN, D J., 1~68, Probable dispersed spores of Cretaceous Equisetites: Palaeontology, v 2, n 4, p 633-642 1973, Prllynology of Early Cretaceozls soil beds and associated strata= Palaeontology, v 16, n 2, p 3~~424 BOLKHOVITINA, N A., 23~3, spore-pollen character of Cretaceous deposits of the central provinces of the USSR= Trudy inst Geol Sci., Acad Sci USSR, 145, Geol Set n 61, 184 p (in Russian) 1356, Atlas of spores and potlen from JNrasJic and Lower Cretaceozls deposits of the ~ilyt/isk basin Inst Geol Sci., Acad Sci USSR, Trans., v 2, 186 p (in Russian) BROPHY, G P., FOOSE, R M., SHAW, F C et al., 1367, Tt·iassic geologicfeatz~res in the Connecticut ~C/alley near Amherst, Massachusetts, Trip D Gir/idebook for Feld trips in the Connecticut F/alley of Massachusetts, New England Intercoll Geol Conf., S3th Ann Meet., Oct 1~-1~, 1367, p 61-72 BURGER, D., 196~, Si,me new species of Classopollis from the JNrasJic of the NetherlandJ: Leid Geol, Meded., v 3~, p 63-63 CHALONER,`W G., 1C)62, Rha~to-Liassic plants IC?Om the HL' nFeld borehole: Geol Survey Gr Brit., 'Bull., v 19, p 1G·28 CHANG, L C., 1363, Nomenclature and distribution of several Mesozoic gymnospermous ~ollen: Acta Paieont Sinica, v 11, n 3, p 43~-~42 (in Chinese and Russian) CHAPMAN, R W., 1~65, Stratkgraphy and petrology of the Hcrmpden basalt in central Cnnnecticut: State Geol Nat Hist Survey Conn., Rept Invest n 3, 38 p COLTON, R B and HARTSHORN, j 1-1., 1966, BedrocR Keolo~y oJ~ the 1E~est Sprin~eFelri eNcrdrrrnRle: U.S Geol Survey, Map GQ-537 COOKSON, I C., 1347, Plant microfossils from the lignites of Kcrg~elen Archi~elago: B.A.N.Z Antarctic Res Exped., 1323-135 2, Rept Ser A, v 2, p 127-142 CORNET, B., TRAVERSE, A., and MCDONALD, N G., 197~, Fossil spores, pollen, and fishes from Connecticut indicate Early JNrctssic age for part ofthe NezuarR Gvollpr Science, v 182, n 4118, p 1243-1246 COUPER, R A., 195~, I/pper iMesozoic and Cainozoic spores and ~Clollen grains from Neu, Zealand= N Zea Geol Survey, Paleont Bull, v 22, p 1-77 1958, British Mesozoic microspores and ~ollen grains, A systematic and stratigraphic study: Palaeontographica, B, v 10~, p 75-179 CREER, K M., 1371, Mesozoic palaeomagnetic reversal colu7mn: Nature, v, 233, p 54~-546 DANZE-CORSIN, P and LAVEINE, J.-P., 1363, Microflore: in Flore infraliasique du Boulonnais (Macro- et Microflore), P Briche, P Danze'-Corsin and J.-P, Laveine, Sec Ge'oi Nord, Me'm., vl~, p 57-155 DAUGHERTY, L H., 1341, The Upper Triasric JPora of Arizona: Carnegie Inst Wash Publ., v 526, 108 p DELCOURT, A F and SPRUMONT, G., 1955, Les sporeJ er les grains de Pollen du Wealdien du Hainazlt= Sec ]Belg GCol., Mem., n.s., v 5, p 1-73 DORING, H., 1361, Planktonartige Fossilien des JllralKr~ide-GrePzzbereichs der Bohrungen Werle (Mrcklenburg): Geologie, v 10, Beih.,~v 32, p 11~-122 DUNAY, R E., 1972, The palyrtology of the Triassic DocRum Groll~ of Texas, and its application to stratigraphz'e Problems of the DocRzlm Groflp= Ph.D diss., Pa State Univ., ~70 p ERDTMAN, G., 1947, SNRgestions for the classification of fossil and recent pollen grains and spores= Svenska Bet Tidskr., v 41, p 104-114 FISHER, M J., 1972, Rhaeto-Liassic ~alynomorphJ from the Bcrrnstane R~tilway clltting, NottinghamJhire: Mercian Geologist, v 4, n 2, p 101-106 GALTON, P M., 1371, The P1·osazcropod dinosaur Ammosaurus, the crocodile Protosuchus, and their bearing on the age of the Navaio Sandstone of northeastern Arizona= Jour Paleont., v 45, p 781-735 GAMERRO, J C., 136fi, Morfologia det polen de Apteroladus lanceolatus Archang (Co·niferae) de la Formacio'n Brtquerod, Provincia de Santa Cruz= Ameghiniana, v 4, n 4, p 133-136 GEIGER, M E and HOPPING, C A 1~68, TrMssic stratigraphy of the Jozlthern North Sea basin: Royal Sec London, Philos Trans Ser B, v 254, p, 1-~6 HARRIS, T M., 2~~1, The fossil flora of Scoresby So21nJ, East Greenland= Meddel Gz~nland, v 85, p 1-104 1348, Notes on the Jtlrassic 1Qora of Yorkshire Ann Mag Nat Hist., Set 12, v 1, p 181-213 15)57, A Liasso-Rhaetic fEora in South Wales= Royal Sec London, Proc., v 147, p 28~-~08 HITCHCOCK, E., JR., Is~~, Descri~tiott of a new species of Ciathropteris, discovered in the Connecticut I/rrlley Sandstone: Amer jour Sci., Ser 2, v 20, p 22-25 HOFFMEISTER, W S~, STAPLIN, F L., and MALLOY, R E., 195~, Mississippran plant spores from the Na7dinJb~rg Formation of Illinois and Kentzicky: Jour Paleont., v 29, p 372-389 HUGHES, N F and MOODY-STUART, J C., 1367, Pcr(ynoloKiiirl J~c-ies ~~lrl C~YTel~ti(,ll ill tht; EI1RliSh I~ealden Rev Palaeobot Palyn., v 1, p 2~~-268 IBRAHIM, A C., 1~~2, See Potonie~, Ibrahim & Loose, 1332 1933, Sporenformen des Argirhorizonts des Ruhr-Reviers= diss., Tech Hochsch., Berlifl, 48 p JANSONIUS, J., 1~62, Pal3inology of Permian and Triassic sediments, Peace River area, w~stern CL,nada: Palaeontographica, B, v 110, p 35-38· JERSEY, N J DE, 1~62, Tviassic spores and Pollen Rrains from che I~swich coalfield: Geol Survey Queensland Publ., v 307, p 1-18 -· 1971, Eclrly Jrrrassic miospores from the Hclidon Sandstone: Gcol Survey Queensland Publ 351, Paiaeont Pap 25, p 1-49 JERSEY, N J DE and PATEN, R J., 1364, J~raJsic sihoreJ and Pollen grains from the Stlrat Basin= Geol Survey Queensland, Publ 322, p 1-18 JUNG, 73~' 'W., 1~6s, Hirmerella miinsteri (Schenk) JNnR nov comb., eine bedeutJame Kr,nifere des Mesozoikums: Palaeontographica, B, v 122, n 1-3, p 5~-33 KENDALL, M WT,, 1343, 012 a neu~ cona~fer from the Scottish Lias= Ann Mag ~dar Hist., Ser 22, v 2, p 33-3 07 KLAUS, Vlr., 1360, Sporen der karnischen Sr~fe dsr os~alpinen Trias: Jahrb Geol Bundesanstalt (7JCrien) Sonderbd., v 5, p 107-18~ KRAUSEL, R and LESCHIK, G., 13~6 (imprint date 1955), Die Kc·~perflora uon Nc~ueu?elt bei BLIJel II, Die Iso~nd MikroJporen: Schwei~ Pal~ont Abh., v 72, p 1-70 KRYNINE, P D., 1~~0, Petrology, stratigraphy, and origin of the Triassic sedimentary rocRJ of Connecticzlt= State Geol Nat Hisr Survey Conn., Bull., v 7~, 247 p KUMMEL, H B., 1836, The Nrwark syJtem, report of progresr !I= Geol Survey N Jersey, Ann Rept State Geol., p 25-88 LaNTz, J., 19SSa, I~tzlde des spores et Pollens d'un ~chantillon P~rbeckien de I'lle d'Ole'ron~ Rev Micropal~ont., v 1, p 3~_~7 1958b, ~tude palynologique de q~etques gchantillons MPsozoiqueJ due Dorset (Grande-Bretagne) Rev Inst Fr Petrole Ann Combust Liquides, r~ 13, p 7-34 ~ LEHMANN, E P., 1~5~, The bedrock geology ofthe Middletown q~adrangle u·,ith map: State Geol Nat Hist Survey Conn., Quadrangle Report 8, p 2-40 LESCHIK, G., 1356 (imprint date, 18~5) in Kr~usel afld Leschik, 1956 MADLER, K., 1864, BemerRensu·erte Sporenformen aus dem Ketcper zlnd t~nteren Lras: Forrschr Geol Rheiflland und 'Wesdalen, v 22, p 163-200 MALYAVKINA, V S., 1~49, INdex of spores and pollen, JNrasJic- Cretaceo~s= Trudy VNIGRI, n.s., n 3~, Gostoptekhizdat, Moscow, 1~13 p (in Russian) ~ - 1953, Spore and polletz complexes of the Upper Triassic csnd Lower and r~jddle /~rassic from the Eastern and Western Pre- Urals= Trudy VNIGRI, n.s., n 7~, 5)3-147 (in Russian) MCLAUGHLIN, D B., 1344, ?er-iassic JtratiRraphy in the Point PleaJant Distvict, Pennsylvania: Pa Acad Sci., Proc., v 28, p 62-69 ~ 15)46, The Triassic rocks of the HNnterdon Plateair, NewJersey.· Pa Acad Sci., Proc., v 20, p 88-98 MINER, E L., I~jS, Iv,~lrt,l,c/trrnjCLrI t·xamination of Crctaieo~s L~nd rrcirtiav~l ionls.· Amer Midi Nat., v 1G, p 58r-62~ NAUMOVA, S N., 1~~~, S~ort·s rrnJ Pollen of`the coals of the USSR: 17th Internat Geol Cong., 1337, Trans., v 1, p 3r~-364 NEWBERRY, J S., 1888, F,,ssil _Fshes and fossil plants of trG~~ Tviassic rocks of N~u~ JerJ-ey and the Connecttctlt I~rlley= U.S Geoi Survey, Mono v 14, p 1-35 NILSSON, T., 1~~8, ~iber das Vorkommen eines mesezo ische n Saprope Iges re i ns in Schonen: Publ Inst Miner Paleont Quat Geol Lund, v 53, 112 p PETTITT, J M and CHALONER, W G., 1364, The ultraJtructure of the Mesozoic Pollen Classopoliis: Pollen et Spores, v 6, n 2, p 611-620 PFLUG, H., 19~3, ZNT ErztJtehung und EntwicRlung des angiospermiden P~tlens in der ErdgeJchichte= Palaeontographica, B, v 35, p b(r171 PLAYFORD, G and DETTMANN, M E., 1965, RhastoLiaJsic plant microfoJsilJ from the Leigh CreeR coal meastlres, South ANstralia: Senckenbergiana Lethaea, v 46, p 127-181 Pococrc, S A J., 1862, Microf~oral analysis and age determination of strata at the Jl/rassic-Cretaceozls bozlndary in the zoeJtern Ccrnada plains= Pa~aeontographica, B, v 111, p 1-31i 1970, Pr,lynotogy of the JNrassic sediments of western Crrnada: Palaeontographica, B, v 1~0, p 12-136 PococK, S A J and JANSONIUS, j., 1361, The pollen genus Classopoliis PfE~g 1953: Micropaleontolgy, v 7, p 4~8-449 POTONIE, R., 1356, Synopsis der Grrtttlngen der Sporae dispersae, Teil i: geol Jahrb Beih., v 23, 103 p 1958, SynopJis der Gattzlngen der Sporae dispersae, Teil II= ~eol Jahrb Beih., v 51, 114 p POTONIE, R., IBRAHIM, A., and Loose, F., 1932, Sporenformen aus detz Flb'zen ~gir ~nd BiJnzasck des R zl hrge bietes: Neues ]ahrb Miner Geol Pal~ont Beilageband, B, v 67, p 4~8-454 POTONIE, R and KLAUS, W7., 1954, EiniRe S~orenRatGzlnRen des alpinen ScrlzRebirgeJ= Geol Jahrb., v 68, p 517-546 POTONIE, R and KREMP, G., 1954, Die GtrttunRen der palliozoischen Sporae dispersae zsnd ihre Strcrtigraphie= Geol Jahrb., v 69, p 111-184 1355, Die Sporae dispersae des Ruhrkarbons I Palaeontographica, B, v 98, 136 p REESIDE, J B., JR., APPLIN, P L., COLBERT, E H., et al., 29r7, Correkrtion of the Trias~ic Jormations of` North America exclusive of Ctrncrda= Geol Sec Amer., Bull., v 68, p 1451-1514 REESMAN, R H., FILBERT, C R and KRUEGER, H VC/., 1973, Potassium-argon dating of the Upper Triassic lavas of the Cr,nnecticut I/Lllley, New England= Geol Sec Amer., Abstr., v ~, n 2, p 211 REEVE, S C and HELSLEY, C E., 1972, Magnetic reversal sequence in the upper Portion of the Chinle Formation, Montoya, New Mexico: Geol Sec Amer., Bull 8~, p 373~-~812 REISER, R F and 7JCIILLIAMs, A J., 1969, Pcrlynology of the Lou?er J~rassic sediments of the northern S,rrat Bdsin, eNeensland: Geol Survey Queensland, v 333, REISSINGER, A., 19~0, Dje "Pollenanalyss," ausgedehnt a~f II.· Palat~ontogr_aphic3, B, v ')0, p ~~-1~G REYRE, Y., 19~j~~ S~Ereo.rCall o~~rer.l.r,lj~n.i oN the POIICII Ren~s Classopollis P~uK IY53 Palaeontology, v 19, n· 2, p 305-322 ROss, N E., 194(), 011 a Cletaceol/s pollen and spore hecrrillK clap deposit of Sian;a.· Geol Inst Univ Upsala, Bull., v ~4, p 25-43 SAH, S C D and JAIN, K P.~ 1365, JNrassic spores and pollen grains from the Rr~rlmahal Hills, Bjhar, Illdia, With a di.rcussion on the aRe of the R~~mahal IlltertrapPt·an beds: Palaeobotanist, v 13, n 3, p 264-280 SAMOILOVICH, S R., 1953~ P,,llen and spores from Pcrmian depositJ of the Cherdy~s~ and AktyubinsR pre-LlralJ: Trudy, VNIGRI, n.s., n 75, p 5-57 (in Russian) SAMOILOVICH, S R., et al., 1961, Pollen and spores of western Siberia, Jurassic-Paleocene, Trudy, VNIGRI, n 177, GGOp (in Russian) SANDERS, J E., 1968, StrcrtiRraphy and primar~ sedimentary srructllves of fine-9rained, u'ell-bedded strata, inferred lake de~ositJ, Upper TrMsJic, central and southern Cnnnecricut: Geol Sec Amer., Spec Pap 106, p 2GT-30~ 1970, S,rati~raphy and strrrcture of the Triassic strata cifthe Gaillard Graben, south-central Connecticuti State Geol Nar Hist Survey Conn., Guidebook n 3, SANDERS, J E., ~UIDOTTI, C V., and WILDE, P., 1363, Foxorr F~lult and G(lillard GI·aben in the TriasJic of southern Connecticut: State Geol Nat Hist Survey Conn., Rept Invest n 2, p 1-16 SCHAEFFER, B., 1967, Lrlte TriassicfiJhesfronz the u'eJtern United States Amer Mus Nat I-list., Bull 135, p 287-542 SCHEURING, B W., 1970, P~rlynoloRiJche und palyno Jtrati~rcrphische (/tltersz(chllngen des Keupers im chentunnel (Sr,lothurner _I//ral: Schweiz Palaont Abh., v 88, p 1-119 SCHNABEL, R M., 1960, Bcdroc~ geology of the AI,on e~adran~le, Connecticut U.S Geol Survey, Map GQ-154 SCHULZ, E., 1967, Sporenprrl;iontoloRische U,lterszlchungen rlitoliaJ·sischev SL-hichten im Zentra(teil des Gcrmanischen Beckens: Pal~ont Abh (B), v 2, n ~, p 547-633 SINGH, C., 1864, rl4jrvof~ora of the Lllu~er Cretaceoz/s M~lnnville group, east-central Al/,ertcr: Res Council Alberta, Bull n llj, 2~9 p SOMERS, G., 1952, A preliminary study of the fossil spore content of the Loic~er J//bilee seam of the S~,dney coalfield, Nr~zia Scotia: Nova Scotia Res Fdn., p 1-30 SUKH DEV., l')Gl, The fossil flora of thee Jubalpicr series 1!1, Spores and polleN Krains Palaeobotanist, v 8, p 4~-5~ THIERGART, F., 1~49, D~r stratiRraphischer l~crt 7rresozoischer ·Pollen und Sporen: Palaeontographica, B1 v~ 89, p 1-34 THOMSON, P W and PFLUG, H., l~f~3, Pollen und Sporen deJ· mitteleuvopaischen TL·rtik'vs · Palaeontographica, B, v 94, p 1-138 TRAVERSE, A., 13r8, Locating plant microfossils on mixed slides: Micropaleontology, v 4, n 2, p 207-208 TRAVERSE, A., AMES, H T., and SPACKMAN, W., 1974, McJozoic Pollen and spores: Cat Fossil Spores, Pollen, v 38, p 1-246 VAKHRAMEEV, V A., 1970, Range and palaeoecology of Mesozoic conifers, The Cheirolepida ceae: Paleont Zhur., n 1, p 1~-34 (in Russian) Translation, Pafeont Jour., 1370, n 1, p 12-2~ VAN HOUTEN, F B., 1969, Lrrte Triassic Newark Group, North Central New Jersey and adjacent Pennsylvania and Ncu, Yor&= in Geology of Selected Areas in New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania and Guidebook of Excursions, Field Trip No 4, Subittky, S (ed.), Geol Soc Amer., 1969 Ann Meet., New Brunswick, N j., Rutgers Univ Press, p 314-~47 VENKATACHALA, B S., 1366, Mesozoic oPerctllate Pollen and their m~phology: Palaeobotanist, v 1T, p 88-101 VENKATACHALA, B S and- GOCZAN, F., 1964, The spore-pollen pora of the Hungarian "Kiissen facies": Acta Geol Acad Sci )-lungary, v 8, p 203-228 VOLKHEIMER, W., 1971 Algt~nos adelantos en la microbioestratiRrlrfia del JNrasico en la Argentina y com~racirin otras regidnes del Hemisferio A//stral, Ameghiniana, v 8, n 3, 4, p 34~-3~5 1972, E.crudio palinoldRico de Iln carbo'n Crlloviano de NczlRElen y conJideracidnes sobve los paleo climas J~rbsicos de la Argentina: Rev Mus La Plam, n.s., Paleont., v 6, p 101-1r7 WALL, D., 1965, Microplankton, pollen, and spores from the Lower _Iurassic in Britain: Micropaleontology, n 2, p 1~1-190 WILLS, L J., 1970, The Tviassic szcccession in the central Midlands in its regional setting: Geol Sec London, Quart Journ., v 126, p 22~-28~ WILSON, L R and WEBSTER, R M., 1946, Plant microfossils from a Fort Union coal of Montana Amer Jour Bet., v 33, p 271-2 78 WODEHOUSE, R P., 13~~~ Tertiary pollen II, The oil shaleJ of the Er,cene Green River formation: Torrey Bet Club, Bull., v 60, p 47~-524 ... Jurassic in age; it is not restricted to this basin, but is also present in the Newark Basin of New Jersey and the Culpeper Basin of Virginia The recognition of Jurassic deposits in the Newark... (Krynine, 1950; Lehmann, 1959; Schnabel, 1960; Colton and Hartshorn, 1966; Sanders, 1970) In the northern part of the basin, the upper part of the East Berlin Formation interfingers with the Granby... endexine and ektexine participate in forming the laesura Narrow, raised lips present on surface of endexine in groove Adjacent to the narrow zone of thinning, a band of exine (67 um wide) is inaapunctate