New Mexico Geological Society Annual Spring Meeting — Abstracts

Recent work on an extensive marine microfossil assemblage from the Pennsylvanian Flechado Formation in Taos County, New Mexico has produced a large number of forms new to the New Mexico late Paleozoic record. Among the fragmentary echinoderms are several holothurian sclerites, ophiurian vertebral ossicles, echinoid Aristotle's lantern fragments and pedicullaria, and a micro-crinoid (Kallimorphocrinus). A large variety of calcareous benthonic and attached agglutinated Foraminifera are represented. A diverse assemblage of ostracods are found in this assemblage as well as several other minor groups such as spirorbid worms, vertebrate ichthyoliths, and a new calcareous Problematica.

This microfossil assemblage occurs in association with a large, well preserved, and diverse molluscan assemblage. The microfauna reveals a previously unexpected echinoderm component. This suggests an open marine environment rather than the brackish environments usually associated with late Paleozoic molluscan assemblages. A number of usually attached Foraminifera and worm tubes that lack obvious attachment sites suggest possible algae growing in this area during Desmoinesian time.