Permian Brachiopods of West Texas, I

Abstract

The first of a projected six-part monograph on the brachiopods of the reference area for the North American Permian in the Glass, Guadalupe, Diablo, Delaware, Hueco, and Chinati Mountains of West Texas and adjacent New Mexico, this introductory volume recounts the history of geological work in the area, the development of the stratigraphic framework in the Wolfcamp, Leonard, and Guadalupe Series, and the basis for age assignments. It also explains field and laboratory techniques for collecting and preparing silicified fossils by means of acid, and it presents detailed measurements and lithic descriptions of the stratigraphic units in each mountain range in terms of the current nomenclature. The paleoecologic implications of the various rock and fossil types are interpreted, and the problems concerning large scale conglomerates, bioherms, and shell heaps are considered. The faunal composition of each stratigraphic unit in each mountain range is set forth as documentation for a local zonation of the brachiopods, intra-regional correlations, and age determinations with reference to the worldwide time scale for the Permian. There are brief accounts of each locality from which fossils were obtained. The full locality listing and the literature cited for the entire monograph are included in the present volume. Plates and line drawings illustrate the techniques of collecting and preparing fossils and the nature of certain stratigraphic units and lithic types; they diagrammatically depict numerous cross sections and correlations. Detailed maps indicate the exact positions of collections of fossils in the Glass Mountains. Taxonomic descriptions will appear in subsequent volumes.