The Triassic ammonite Aristoptychites kolymensis (Kiparisova) from Botneheia, Spitsbergen

Algae (Dasycladales) from the Upper Triassic Nayband Formation (northeast Iran)

Dasycladales are relatively abundant in the bedded limestones of the Bidestan and Howz-e Khan members of the Late Triassic Nayband Formation in central Iran. In a locality south of the town of Naybandan (northwest of Dig-e Rostam), several Rhaetian dasycladacean algae were found in thin sections. The following taxa are described: Diplopora phanerospora Pia, Naybandoporella rhaetica nov. gen. no...

New Ginkgophytes from the Upper Triassic–lower Cretaceous of Spitsbergen and Edgeøya (svalbard, Arctic Norway): the History of Ginkgoales on Svalbard

Premise of research. During the ongoing investigation of Upper Triassic–Lower Cretaceous plant macrofossils from Svalbard, Norway, some ginkgoalean leaf fossils were found from Carnian and Aptian deposits of Spitsbergen and Edgeøya that represent new ginkgophyte species. One new species is described asBaiera aquilonia sp. nov., and one ginkgophyte leaf is assigned to Ginkgoites sp. Along with t...

Relationships between development of organic−rich shallow shelf facies and variation in isotopic composition of pyrite (Middle Triassic, Spitsbergen)

51 samples from the Middle Triassic black shales (organic carbon−rich silt− stones; up to 4.9% TOC – Total Organic Carbon) from the stratotype section of the Bravaisberget Formation (western Spitsbergen) were analyzed with respect to isotopic composition of pyritic sulphur ( 34S) and TOC. Isotopic composition of syngenetic py− rite−bound sulphur shows wide ( 34S from −26‰ to +8‰ VCDT) and narro...

Methanogenic archaea in Arctic soils from Spitsbergen, Norway (78°N)

The Triassic

The Triassic, lasting from 252 to 201 million years (Myr) ago, was crucial in the origin of modern ecosystems. It is the seventh of the 11 geological systems or periods into which the Phanerozoic, the fossiliferous last 540 million years, of Earth history is divided. It might seem strange to select just one of these divisions of time as somehow more significant than the others. However, this wa...