Integrated conodont biostratigraphy and carbon isotope chemostratigraphy of the Mississippian Pahasapa Formation, Black Hills, South Dakota, U.S.A

Matthew G. Braun; Alyssa M. Bancroft; Nicholas J. Hogancamp; Brittany M. Stolfus; Megan N. Heath; Bradley D. Cramer

doi:10.1127/nos/0884

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Integrated conodont biostratigraphy and carbon isotope chemostratigraphy of the Mississippian Pahasapa Formation, Black Hills, South Dakota, U.S.A

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Integrated conodont biostratigraphy and carbon isotope chemostratigraphy of the Mississippian Pahasapa Formation, Black Hills, South Dakota, U.S.A

Matthew G. Braun, Alyssa M. Bancroft, Nicholas J. Hogancamp, Brittany M. Stolfus, Megan N. Heath and Bradley D. Cramer

Newsletters on stratigraphy, Vol.59(3), pp.251-267

01/08/2026

DOI: 10.1127/nos/0884

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Abstract

The Black Hills, South Dakota, USA, expose thick packages of Devonian-Carboniferous carbonates that represent the shallow-water succession on the NW margin of the Transcontinental Arch. These carbonates are the up-ramp facies of the well-studied Devonian-Carboniferous Boundary succession in the Williston Basin farther to the NW. This basin margin succession is critical to developing a detailed sequence stratigraphic history of the Williston Basin and the U.S. Midcontinent but little chronostratigraphic information is available from these strata beyond their designation to the Mississippian Subsystem. Here, we sampled the uppermost beds of the Englewood Formation and ~ 60 m of the Pahasapa Formation for integrated conodont and carbon isotope biochemostratigraphy at the Spearfish Canyon section in the Black Hills including a total of 34 conodont and 203 carbonate carbon isotope samples. Conodont yields were generally poor, but the Mickelson Member of the Englewood Formation contained conodonts of the Siphonodella sandbergi Zone and the lower portion of the Pahasapa Formation contained Siphonodella crenulata Zone fauna. No discernable carbon isotope excursion was identified, and δ13C values persist above +3‰ throughout the top of the sampled interval. The Kinderhookian-Osagean Regional Stages boundary could not be placed precisely at the outcrop. However, there is no evidence that the portion of the Pahasapa Formation sampled extends any higher than within the global Tournaisian Stage.

Early Mississippian

Tournaisian

conodont biostratigraphy

chronostratigraphy

Black Hills South Dakota

carbon isotope chemostratigraphy

Details

Title: Subtitle: Integrated conodont biostratigraphy and carbon isotope chemostratigraphy of the Mississippian Pahasapa Formation, Black Hills, South Dakota, U.S.A
Creators: Matthew G. Braun
Alyssa M. Bancroft
Nicholas J. Hogancamp
Brittany M. Stolfus
Megan N. Heath
Bradley D. Cramer
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Newsletters on stratigraphy, Vol.59(3), pp.251-267
DOI: 10.1127/nos/0884
ISSN: 0078-0421
Publisher: GEBRUDER BORNTRAEGER
Grant note: National Science Foundation: CAREER-1455030
This work was partially supported by National Science Foundation grant CAREER-1455030 to Brad Cramer. We would like to thank Josie Mbaye for assistance with picking conodont samples, Markus Aretz for editorial handling, and Tomas Kumpan and Jeff Over for their constructive reviews. This manuscript was completed as part of the lead author's PhD dissertation at the University of Iowa.
Language: English
Electronic publication date: 01/08/2026
Academic Unit: International Programs; Iowa Geological Survey; IIHR--Hydroscience and Engineering; School of Earth, Environment, and Sustainability
Record Identifier: 9985130239702771

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