Ustʹ Pinega Formation

Ustʹ Pinega Formation
Stratigraphic range: Ediacaran
TypeGeological Formation
Sub-unitsTamitsa, Lyamtsa, Arkhangelsk, Verkhovka, Syuzma, Vaizitsa and Zimnegory Subformations
UnderliesMezen Formation
Overliesdifferent Archean and Proterozoic rocks
Thickness>751 m
Lithology
PrimaryArgillite
OtherSandstone, Siltstone, Clay
Location
Coordinates64°09′00″N 41°56′00″E / 64.15000°N 41.93333°E / 64.15000; 41.93333
RegionArkhangelsk Oblast, Vologda Oblast, Kirov Oblast, Komi Republic, Republic of Karelia
CountryRussia
Extent>970 km
Ustʹ Pinega Formation (Russia)
Ustʹ Pinega Formation (Arkhangelsk Oblast)

The Ustʹ Pinega Formation is an Upper Ediacaran geological formation in northwestern Russia. It spans from around 575 Ma to 550 Ma and contains fossils of the Ediacaran biota throughout its sequence.[2]

Geology

The formation was first established and described from the core of the Ust-Pinega borehole drilled in the settlement of Ust-Pinega, Arkhangelsk Region of Russia, where its thickness is 284 m. Its natural outcrops within the same region are known from the Onega Peninsula and the Winter Coast of the White Sea, as well as from small, isolated outcrops in the basin of the Onega River and on the northern slope of the Vetreny Poyas (Windy Belt) Ridge.[3]

The formation rests with erosion on Proterozoic terrigenous deposits or Archean crystalline rocks. It is subdivided, from bottom to top, into the following Subformations (initially defined as "Beds" by A.F. Stankovsky, 1985): Tamitsa, Lyamtsa, Arkhangelsk, Verkhovka, Syuzma, Vaizitsa, and Zimnegory. It is unconformably overlain by deposits of the Ediacaran Mezen Formation, as well as by Paleozoic or Quaternary sediments.

In 2003, D.V. Grazhdankin proposed an alternative subdivision scheme for these deposits, based on the original scheme by A.F. Stankovskiy. This scheme includes the Lyamtsa (= Lyamtsa + Arkhangelsk Beds), the Verkhovka (= Verkhovka + Syuzma Beds), and the Zimnegory (= Vaizitsa + Zimnegory Beds) Formations. In this revision, the use of the Ust' Pinega Formation was abandoned in favor of these three formations.[4]

Currently, the Ust' Pinega Formation and its subformations remain the official stratigraphic scheme used on state geological maps of Russia.

Dating

The Lyamtsa, Verkhovka and Vaizitsa Subformations contain volcanic ashes. Zircon U-Pb dating of volcanic tuffs from the Verkhovka and Vaizitsa beds has yielded ages of 557.28±0.14 Ma and 552.96±0.19 Ma, respectively.[5][2] Furthermore, an Rb–Sr age of 565±Ma was obtained for clays of the Arkhangelsk Subformation.[1] The formation is unconformably overlain by the deposits of the Mezen Formation, from the lower part of which a U-Pb age of 550.2±4.6 Ma has been obtained for tuffites.[6]

Paleobiota

The Ustʹ Pinega Formation is home to many rare and common Ediacaran fauna, from the well known motile forms such as Dickinsonia and Kimberella,[7] to the rarer, more elusive forms like Ventogyrus and Zolotytsia. All forms within this formation are preserved in layers of ash beds, which are not only good at preserving the fine exterior details of organisms, but also their internals, like Burykhia.[8]

Color key
Taxon Reclassified taxon Taxon falsely reported as present Dubious taxon or junior synonym Ichnotaxon Ootaxon Morphotaxon
Notes
Uncertain or tentative taxa are in small text; crossed out taxa are discredited.

Proarticulata

Genus Species Notes Images
Andiva[9]
  • A. ivantsovi
Elongated oval motile organism.
Archaeaspinus[10]
  • A. fedonkini
Oval motile organism.
Armillifera[3]
  • A. parva
Elongated oval motile organism.
Cephalonega[3]
  • C. stepanovi
Oval motile organism.
Cyanorus[10]
  • C. singularis
Elongated motile organism.
Dickinsonia[3][5]
  • Dickinsonia sp.
Oval to elongated motile organism.
Karakhtia[11]
  • K. nessovi
Oval motile organism.
Keretsa[12]
  • K. brutoni
Elongated motile organism.
Lossinia[13]
  • L. lissetskii
Elongated motile organism.
Ovatoscutum[3][5]
  • O. concentricum
Rounded motile organism.
Palaeoplatoda[3][14]
  • P. segmentata
Elongated motile organism.
Paravendia[10]
  • P. janae
Elongated motile organism.
Vendia[3][5]
  • V. sokolovi
  • V. rachiata
Elongated motile organism.
Yorgia[5]
  • Y. waggoneri
Oval motile organism.

Petalonamae

Genus Species Notes Images
Bomakellia[15]
  • B. kelleri
Sessile frondose organism.
Charnia[3][5]
  • Charnia sp.
Sessile frondose organism.
Charniodiscus[3]
  • Charniodiscus sp.
Sessile frondose organism.
Pteridinium[3]
  • Pteridinium sp.
Sessile frondose organism.
Ramellina[16]
  • R. pennata
Sessile frondose organism.

Trilobozoan

Genus Species Notes Images
Albumares[3]
  • A. brunsae
Tri-radial organism.
Anfesta[3][5]
  • A. stankovskii
Tri-radial organism.
Tribrachidium[3][5]
  • T. heraldicum
Tri-radial organism.

Cnidarian

Genus Species Notes Images
Bonata[3]
  • B. septata
Discoid organism.
Brachina[3]
  • Brachina sp.
Discoid organism.
Ediacaria[3][5]
  • Ediacaria sp.
Discoid organism.
Eoporpita[3][5]
  • E. medusa.
Discoid organism.
Inaria[5]
  • I. karli
Sac-like organism.
Medusinites[3]
  • Medusinites sp.
Discoid organism.
Staurinidia[3][5]
  • S. crucicula
Discoid organism.
Tirasiana[3]
  • Tirasiana sp.
Discoid organism.
Zolotytsia
  • Z. biserialis
Deformed mass of ovals along a mid-line groove.

Chordata

Genus Species Notes Images
Burykhia[8]
  • B. hunti
Sac-like organism, possible tunicate.

Annelida

Genus Species Notes Images
Calyptrina[3]
  • C. striata
Tubular organism.

incertae sedis

Genus Species Notes Images
Cyclomedusa[3][5]
  • Cyclomedusa sp.
Discoid organism.
Hiemalora[3][5]
  • Hiemalora sp.
Discoid organism, possibly holdfasts of petalonamids.
Kimberella[7][5]
  • Kimberella sp.
Egg-shaped organism, possible mollusc.
Mawsonites[5]
  • M. spriggi
Discoid organism.
Nimbia[3][5]
  • N. occlusa
Discoid organism.
Orbisiana[3]
  • Orbisiana sp.
Palaeopascichnid organism.
Palaeopascichnus[3][5]
  • Palaeopascichnus sp.
Palaeopascichnid organism.
Parvancorina[3][5]
  • P. sagitta
Anchor-shaped organism, possible mollusc or arthropod.
Solza[11]
  • S. margarita
Egg-shaped organism.
Vendotaenid[3]
  • Vendotaenid
Ribbon-like organisms.

Flora

Genus Species Notes Images
Archyfasma[17]
  • A. dimera
  • A. lamellata
Branching macroalgae.
Beltanelliformis[3][5]
  • Beltaneillformis sp.
Cyanobacterial colony.
Eoholynia[17]
  • E. fruticulosa
Branching macroalgae.
Favosiphycus[17]
  • F. wukii
Flattened thallus crust-like, consisting of densely packed cells.
Gandvikia[17]
  • G. caudata
Ribbon-shaped macroalgae.
Mezenia[3]
  • M. kossovoyi
Sausage shaped macroalgae.
Serebrina[18]
  • S. crustacea
Encrusting macroalgae.

Ichnogenera

Genus Species Notes Images
Epibaion
  • Epibaion sp.
Feeding traces of proarticulates.
Kimberichnus[19][5]
  • Kimberichnus sp.
Feeding traces of Kimberella.
Nenoxites[3]
  • Nenoxites sp.
Movement traces.
Neonereites[3]
  • Neonereites sp.
Burrows.
Planolites[3]
  • Planolites sp.
Burrows.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Golubkova, E. Yu.; Zaitseva, T. S.; Tretyachenko, V. V.; Kushim, E. A.; Kuznetsov, A. B.; Turchenko, T. L.; Silivanov, M. O. (April 2025). "The Redkino Biota and the Rb–Sr Age of Vendian Deposits from the North of the East European Platform". Stratigraphy and Geological Correlation. 33 (2): 157–175. doi:10.1134/S086959382470031X.
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  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Martin, M. W.; Grazhdankin, D. V.; Bowring, S. A.; Evans, D. A. D.; Fedonkin, M. A.; Kirschvink, J. L. (5 May 2000). "Age of Neoproterozoic Bilatarian Body and Trace Fossils, White Sea, Russia: Implications for Metazoan Evolution". Science. 288 (5467): 841–845. doi:10.1126/science.288.5467.841.
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