Upper Rahal Shale, RT IIa/1-2 & RT I, Rabat-Tiflet Area (Devonian of Morocco)

Where: Morocco (34.0° N, 6.9° W: paleocoordinates 44.5° S, 15.1° E)

• coordinate based on political unit

• local area-level geographic resolution

When: Rahal Shale Formation, Eifelian (393.3 - 387.7 Ma)

• Upper part of Rahal Shale. Upper Eifelian. Section RT I and Level 1 of sect. RT IIa.

• formation-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: marine; shale and limestone

• From Ref. 7488: "The Rabat-Tiflet area is a complex "anticlinal resp. anticlinorial" structure (W-E). The beds are folded in a mediotype style and disturbed by normal faults and several overthrusts of limited extent. Traces of isoclinal folding are rare. The folding is the result of the Hercynian (Variscan) orogeny. The R-T area is a typical region of the so-called Hercynian-Bohemian facies development of the Silurian and Devonian, moreover in facies and faunal development very reminiscent of the barrandian area...It is characterized by a complete marine succession, a conformable gradual transition from the Upper Silurian (Budnanian) into the early Lower Devonian (Lochkovian), without any effects of the Late Caledonian orogeny."
• Lithology based on stratigraphic column. Lithology is shale with limestone lenses.

Primary reference: G. K. B. Alberti. 1970. Trilobiten des juengeren Siluriums sowie des Unter- und Mitteldevons. II. Abhandlungen der Senckenbergischen Naturforschenden Gesellschaft 525:1-233 [M. Foote/M. Foote/M. Foote]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 27059: authorized by Michael Foote, entered by Michael Foote on 15.11.2002

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

• Faunas of the R-T area include graptolites, tentaculitids, conodonts, and brachiopods. The last two groups have not been studied in detail.
Anthozoa
  -
Anthozoa indet. Ehrenberg 1834
solitary forms
Cephalopoda
 Agoniatitida - Werneroceratidae
Strophomenata
 Strophomenida - Sowerbyellidae
Hyolitha
 Hyolithida - Hyolithidae
Hyolithes sp. d'Eichwald 1840
Tentaculita
 Nowakiida - Nowakiidae
Ostracoda
 Cypridinida - Bolbozoidae
Trilobita
 Corynexochida - Styginidae
"Thysanopeltis aff. speciosum" = Bronteus (Thysanopeltis)
"Thysanopeltis aff. speciosum" = Bronteus (Thysanopeltis) trilobite
 Proetida - Aulacopleuridae
 Phacopida - Phacopidae
Phacops sp. Emmrich 1839 trilobite