Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-p9bg8 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T17:46:17.455Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Marine Plio-Pleistocene of Iceland and problems of Its Correlation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Y.B. Gladenkov*
Affiliation:
Geological Institute, USSR Academy of Sciences, Pyzhevsky per. 7, 109017 Moscow, USSR

Abstract

The marine Pliocene-Pleistocene sequence of Iceland contains four main assemblages of mollusks: (1) Venerupis rhomboides et al., (2) Serripes groenlandicus et al., (3) Portlandia arctica et al., and (4) recent species. Analysis of the stratigraphic distribution of 100 species shows that the percentage of extinct species in the assemblages decreases from 40% in the oldest to 4–8% in the youngest. There is also a change from south boreal affinities in the oldest assemblage to north boreal in the youngest. The molluskan assemblages of Iceland can be correlated with Pliocene-Pleistocene assemblages of England and North Europe: (1) Coralline Crag, (2) Red Crag—lower part of the Icenian strata, (3) upper part of the Icenian-Cromerian strata. The upper boundaries of the Pliocene and Eopleistocene are defined by paleomagnetic data and radiological dating. The upper boundary of the Pliocene presumably should be established in the basalts lying between the Tjörnes and the Breidavik deposits by changes between the second and third mollusk assemblages and by the Gilsa paleomagnetic event.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
University of Washington

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Akmetyiev, M.A. Geptner, A.R. Gladenkov, Y.B. Mylanovsky, Y.Y. Trifonov, V.G. (1978).Iceland and Mid-ocean Ridge. Stratigraphy Lithology Nauka Moscow [in Russian] Google Scholar
Albertsson, K.J. (1978). Some notes on the age of the Tjörnes strata sequence, northern Iceland Natturufraedingurinn 48, 1–2 1-8 [in Icelandic] Google Scholar
Azzaroli, A. (1953).The deer of the Neybourn and forest bed of Norfolk British Museum (Natural History) Bulletin, Geology 2, 1 Google Scholar
Bardarsson, G. (1925). A stratigraphical survey of the Pliocene deposits at Tjörnes on northern Iceland Det Kongelige Danske Videnskabernes Selskab Biologiske Meddelelser 4, 5 Google Scholar
Durham, J.W. MacNeil, F.S. (1967). Cenozoic migrations of marine invertebrates through the Bering Strait region Hopkins, D.M. The Bering Land Bridge Stanford Univ. Press Stanford, Calif 326-349 Google Scholar
Einarsson, T. Gladenkov, Y.B. (1973). Upper Cenozoic of Iceland Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Seriya Geologicheskaya No. 5 93-103 [in Russian] Google Scholar
Einarsson, T. Hopkins, D.M. Doell, R.R. (1967). The stratigraphy of Tjörnes, northern Iceland, and the history of the Bering Land Bridge Hopkins, D.M. The Bering Land Bridge Stanford Univ. Press Stanford, Calif 313-325 Google Scholar
Gladenkov, Y.B. (1978). Marine upper Cenozoic of the northern regions Geological Institute Transactions 313 Nauka Moscow [in Russian] Google Scholar
Gladenkov, Y.B. Gurari, G.S. (1976). Paleomagnetic characterization of the Pliocene-Pleistocene of Iceland (p. Tjörnes) Doklady Akademii Nauk SSSR 230, 5 1173-1175 [in Russian] Google Scholar
Harmer, F.W. The Pliocene Mollusca of Great Britain, being supplementary to S. V. Wood's Monograph of the Crag Mollusca 1914–1925 Palaeontographical Society London Google Scholar
Hopkins, D.M. (1972).The paleogeography and climatic history of Beringia during late Cenozoic time Paris, Inter. Nord N 12 Google Scholar
Norton, P.E.P. (1975). Paleoecology of the Mollusca of the Tjörnes sequence, Iceland Boreas 4, 97-110 Google Scholar
Strauch, F. (1970).Die Thule-Landbrücke als Wanderweg und Faunenscheide zwischen Atlantik und Skandik im Tertiär Geologisches Rundschau 60, 1 Google Scholar
Strauch, F. (1972). Phylogenese, adaptation und Migration einiger nordischer mariner Molluskengenera (Neptunea, Panomya, Cyrtodaria und Mya) Abhandlungen der Senckenbergischen Naturforschenden Gesellschaft 531 Google Scholar
West, R.G. (1972). Pleistocene Geology and Biology Longmans London Google Scholar
Wood, S.V. The Mollusca of the Crag: Bivalves 1850–1856 Palaeontographical Society London Google Scholar
Wood, S.V. (1874). Supplement to the Crag Mollusca, Bivalvia Palaeontographical Society London Monograph Vol. 27, 99-231 Google Scholar