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The first 2 million years after the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary in east Texas: rate and paleoecology of the molluscan recovery

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 February 2016

Thor A. Hansen ,
Benjamin R. Farrell  and
Banks Upshaw III
Thor A. Hansen
Affiliation:
Department of Geology, Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington 98225
Benjamin R. Farrell
Affiliation:
Department of Geology, Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington 98225
Banks Upshaw III
Affiliation:
Department of Geology, Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington 98225
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Abstract

Analysis of molluscan collections from a 3+ m.y. interval around the Cretaceous–Tertiary (K–T) interval in east Texas suggests that molluscs suffered an extinction at or near the K–T boundary, followed by a prolonged period of stress which lasted through the P0 and P1a planktic foraminiferal zones. The stressed period was characterized by low species richness, low abundances of individuals, high species turnover and a dominance of deposit feeders. Species richness and the relative abundance of deposit feeders generally track the 13C depletion curve suggesting that the stress was caused by a lack of primary production. A stable, relatively diverse, suspension feeding molluscan community was reestablished less than two million years after the K–T boundary. The total number of species within the habitat did not recover to Cretaceous levels within the study interval.

Type
Articles
Information
Paleobiology , Volume 19 , Issue 2 , Spring 1993 , pp. 251 - 265
Copyright
Copyright © The Paleontological Society 

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