Conodont biostratigraphy of the Chattanooga Shale, Middle and Upper Devonian, southern Appalachian basin, eastern United States

Abstract

The Chattanooga Shale of the southern Appalachian Basin contains a diverse conodont fauna of the high Givetian, Frasnian, and Famennian. The predominantly fine-grained strata were deposited in an offshore setting where depositional packages are separated by unconformities. Conodonts allow regional and global correlation of these strata, recognition of the Frasnian-Famennian boundary, and narrow biostratigraphic constraint of two Frasnian ash beds, MN Zone 8 for the Belpre Ash and upper MN Zone 13 for the Center Hill Ash. Three new Frasnian palmatolepid conodonts are described in open nomenclature, and the holotype of Palmatolepis regularis Cooper is reillustrated.