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Alberta Palaeontological Society
After the extinction: Macrofossils of the Triassic Sulphur Mountain Formation in Kananaskis
Speaker: Dr. Jon Noad, geologist and Director of the DigitCore Institute for Learning
Location: Mount Royal University, Room B108
Time: February 9, 2018, 7:30 pm
Abstract:
Outcrops in and around Kananaskis expose portions of the Sulphur Mountain Formation, dating back to the basal Triassic, just after the Permian extinction event that led to the eradication of 92% of life on Earth. The lowermost beds overlying the Permian extinction appear devoid of fossils, in contrast to the highly bioturbated limestone beds of the uppermost Permian Ranger Canyon Formation. However, the younger strata in the Sulphur Mountain Formation yield a diverse fauna that includes ammonites, bivalve beds and a variety of burrows and algal mats.
Most striking of the fossil assemblages is a bone bed, preserved in lower shoreface, marine
sediments. It yields bone fragments, shark teeth and possible coprolites, preserved in a siltstone
matrix. Some of the smaller bones are thought to belong to plesiosaurs. The fossil material is
densely concentrated, forming a clast supported conglomerate. At least three species of shark
teeth have been identified, and work is ongoing as to the best way to study the palaeontology of
this unique discovery without destroying it. The Aust Bone Bed in the UK is slightly younger, but
provides a suitable analogue, with a comparable fauna with similar preservation.
The bone bed occurs as pockets of fossiliferous sediment between concretionary ribs that are
around 10 cm in diameter, oriented along three distinct axes. These are interpreted as
Thalassinoides burrows, created by glass shrimps, and later overgrown by concretionary
phosphatic material. The concretions occur within a laterally extensive bed that dips
subvertically, and is overlain by a thick black mudstone interval. The depositional setting is
interpreted as a storm deposit that was covered by sediment, allowing cementation to take
place. A subsequent transgression removed the covering sediment, exposing the concretionary
layer and depositing a transgressive lag or omission surface. A further transgression led to
deposition of the thick mudstone interval.
The excellent exposures along creeks and road cuts in the Kananaskis region have allowed the
bone bed horizon to be tied into the stratigraphy of the lower Sulphur Mountain Formation, and
incorporated into a sequence stratigraphic framework that can be directly correlated to the
Lower Montney Formation. The Montney Formation is a major shale gas and shale oil resource,
one of the largest known gas resources in the world.
Biography:
Jon Noad is an experienced Geologist, currently Director of the DigitCore Institute for Learning,
where he trains geologists through classroom and field based courses.
Jon graduated from Imperial College, London in 1985 with a Geology degree. He worked in
mining in South Africa for five years, and then as a marine geologist responsible for all subsea
cable route planning for British Telecom. He completed a Masters in Sedimentology at evening
classes, which led to a PhD. examining the sedimentary evolution of eastern Borneo. After
graduating from the University of London in 1998, he joined Shell International in Holland,
working mainly on Middle Eastern exploration. He moved to Calgary in 2006 with Shell Canada,
working as Team Lead, Frontier and on the Orphan and Deep Basins. He joined Murphy Oil in
2010 as Exploration Manager, then Husky Energy in 2012 as Geological Specialist. Roles there
included managing peer reviews, and the new graduate program. He left them in 2016 and set
up his own consultancy, Sedimental Services, taking on a variety of Canadian and international
projects, before joining DigitCore in 2017.
In addition to his technical experience, Jon has taught at several universities, and is currently
Adjunct Professor at the University of Alberta. He is former President of British Sedimentology
Research Group and the Nederlands Geology Circle. He has published numerous scientific
papers as well as popular articles on the industry. He loves running, wildlife photography and
hot chilis.
Information:
This event is presented jointly by the Alberta Palaeontological Society, the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Mount Royal University, and the Palaeontology Division of the Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists. For details or to present a talk in the future, please contact CSPG Palaeontology Division Chair Jon Noad at [email protected] or APS Coordinator Harold Whittaker at 403-286-0349 or contact [email protected]. Visit the APS website for confirmation of event times and upcoming speakers: http://www.albertapaleo.org/.
