CROSS, AUREAL T.* and RALPH E. TAGGART. Department of Geological Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824. - A new Mississippian plant deposit in western Michigan.
A new site for plant fossils of Lower Carboniferous (Mississippian)
age has recently come to our attention. The deposits are intercalated
in gypsum from strata in subsurface mines near Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Marine Ctenocanth spines and teeth are accompanied by lycopod
fragments from the upper surface and layers of the gypsum. Samples for
palynological analysis were collected from abandoned galleries.
Included in the collections from the mine roof and layers fallen from
the roof were fragments of arborescent lycopod stems and considerable
flotsam derived from proximal marine margins. Fibrous material, scraps
of periderm, and shredded woody tissue were also collected. Spore
analysis indicates probable Namurian age. Absence or very low
percentages of such key spore genera as Tripartites,
Grandispora, Schulzospora, Densosporites, and
Lycospora presently preclude a more definitive age
determination.
Key words: gypsum, Mississippian, plant fossils, western Michigan