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John D. Obradovich

Publications and source records attributed to John D. Obradovich.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

A USGS Zonal Table for the Upper Cretaceous Middle Cenomanian--Maastrichtian of the Western Interior of the United States Based on Ammonites, Inoceramids, and Radiometric Ages

From the Introduction: This provisional table is based mainly on the molluscan fossil record of the central and northern parts of the Western Interior of the United States. Some of the ammonite zones are known in Europe, such as Watinoceras devonense, Collignoniceras woollgari, Prionocyclus germari, Scaphites hippocrepis, Didymoceras stevensoni, and Didymoceras cheyennense, whereas more than one-half of the inoceramid zones are known also in Europe. A few of the ammonite zones are known from only a few localities, but the diagnostic species may occur in abundance. Among these are the zones of Acanthoceras granerosense, A. bellense, Dunveganoceras problematicum, Burroceras clydense, Watinoceras devonense, Collignoniceras praecox, and Scaphites mariasensis. All fossils listed in the table are in the national collection housed in Building 810 at the Federal Center, Denver, Colorado

Open-File Report

Integrated biostratigraphic and radiometric study on the Lower Cenomanian (Cretaceous) of Hokkaido, Japan

New 40 Ar- 39 Ar total fusion ages have been obtained on sanidine from tuffs in the zone of Mantelliceras saxbii (equivalent to the same subzone of the European ammonite zonation) and the zone of Graysonites wooldridgei (equivalent to the European subzone of Neostlingoceras carcitanense ). Ages of 98.98±0.38 Ma and 99.16±0.37 Ma, for these zones, respectively, place new constraints on the age of the AlbianlCenomanian boundary. If the base of the Cenomanian is to be defined, as currently proposed, as the FAD of the planktonic foraminifera Rotalipora globotruncanoides then the Albian/Cenomanian boundary will be at least as old as 99.2±0.4 Ma. Some 50±10m of undated sediments lie below the lowest find of R . globotruncanoides and above bono fide uppermost Albian strata.

Hokkaido

Cretaceous, Tertiary, and early Pleistocene rocks from the continental margin in the Bering Sea

Rocks dredged from the continental margin in eastern Bering Sea in and near the Pribilof Canyon indicate that the acoustic basement represents the upper surface of thoroughly lithified turbidite beds of graywacke and siltstone of Late Cretaceous age. The stratified sequence covering the acoustic basement is gently deformed and includes marine clastic and diatomaceous sediments ranging in age from middle or late Miocene through early Pleistocene. Dense argillite, siltstone, and calcareous sandstone of early Tertiary age in and near the Zhemchug Canyon probably represent an older part of this sequence. The main layered sequence accumulated above the acoustic basement in shallow water, and, because the older beds now lie as much as 1000 m below sea level, the continental margin must have undergone considerable subsidence during late Tertiary and Quaternary time. A rich pollen flora indicates that the shoreline lay only a few tens of kilometers away from the site of the Pribilof Canyon during late Miocene time.

Alaska

Potassium-argon ages bearing on the igneous and tectonic history of the Elk Mountains and vicinity, Colorado: A preliminary report

K-Ar ages for epizonal plutonic rocks together with field studies indicate that uplift of the Sawatch Range began at least 72 m.y. ago. Vertical uplift of the Sawatch Range was followed or accompanied by gravity sliding of sedimentary rocks along the Elk Range thrust fault. The greatest volume of exposed intrusive rocks in the Elk Mountains, Ruby Range, and West Elk Mountains consists of granodioritic rocks of Oligocene age which are younger than the Elk Range thrust. Miocene and Pliocene(?) mafic dikes were emplaced after most of the structural features in the area had developed. The Treasure Mountain dome near Marble was formed by emplacement of a unique soda granite pluton about 12.5 m.y. ago. Discordant K-Ar and Rb-Sr ages for biotite from the Twin Lakes stock in the Sawatch Range suggest that this large pluton is of Late Cretaceous or early Tertiary age and lost argon during Oligocene plutonism, or is of Eocene age and represents a separate event not yet supported by other radiometric dates from the area.

Colorado