Ausich et al.—Fort Payne Formation Batocrinidae


nashvillae (Hall, 1858) occurred throughout the region in both shallow and deep settings. Alloprosallocrinus conicus and Macrocrinus mundulus are the most ubiquitous taxa, occurring in siliciclastic and carbonate facies and in both shallow- and deep-water settings. Alloprosallocrinus conicus had a preference for carbonate settings, but Macrocrinus mundulus was locally abundant in both facies types. Abatocrinus steropes and Uperocrinus nashvillae occurred only in carbonate facies. The four widespread species noted above are atypical, as


the distribution of most species is more restricted (Table 1). For example, although Abatocrinus steropes is present throughout the region, A. clavigerus is only present in the western, shallow- water carbonates of the Keokuk Limestone; and A. grandis is only known from the eastern side of the Eastern Interior Seaway but is in both shallow- and deep-water settings and in carbonate and siliciclastic facies. A second example illustrating variable distribution within a genus is Uperocrinus. As noted above, Uperocrinus nashvillae is ubiquitous with the exception that it is only present in carbonate facies. However, Uperocrinus marinus (Miller and Gurley, 1890) is only in the shallow-water, siliciclastic facies in the Edwardsville Formation in central Indiana; and Uperocrinus robustus (Wachsmuth and Springer, 1897) only occurs in the deep-water, carbonate facies of the Fort Payne Formation. Macrocrinus casualis (Miller and Gurley, 1895a) is restricted to deep-water Fort Payne facies. Although both Macrocrinus mundulus and Macrocrinus strotobasilaris Ausich and Lane, 1982 are present in the deeper-water facies, they are much more common in the shallow-water facies of northern Kentucky and southern Indiana. The known distribution of early Viséan batocrinid species is listed in Table 1.


Facies distribution of Fort Payne Formation Batocrinidae


Batocrinids occurred predominantly in carbonate facies of the Fort Payne Formation; although as noted below and in Table 2 and Figure 3, a few were also present in the autochthonous green shale facies. Summed across all Fort Payne localities, Eretmocrinus magnificus Lyon and Casseday, 1859, Alloprosallocrinus conicus,and Uperocrinus robustus were the dominant batocrinids in the Fort Payne Formation; Abatocrinus grandis and Macrocrinus casualis were of intermediate abundance; and the other batocrinids were relatively rare by comparison (Table 2). In a study of Fort Payne crinoids, Krivicich et al. (2014) documented that the autochthonous Fort Payne crinoid assemblages (all crinoid taxa) were comprised of statistically distinct crinoid assemblages, despite many shared taxa. Analysis of only batocrinid Fort Payne assemblages


685


demonstrates the same patterns documented in Krivicich et al. (2014). Batocrinids from the wackestone buildup facies are distinct from those of the crinoidal packstone buildups (Fig. 4). The single exception in Krivicich et al. (2014) remained with an evaluation of only batocrinids, which is Owens Branch wack- estone buildup that has exceptionally large flank beds similar to crinoidal packstone buildups. In both analyses, the Owens Branch wackestone fauna was more similar to crinoidal packstone buildups rather than other wackestone buildups (Fig. 4.1, 4.2). If compared to other coeval crinoid-bearing facies across eastern North America, these deep-water carbonate buildups and the allochthonous facies that were sourced by them are distinct from other crinoid assemblages (Krivicich et al., 2014; Fig. 4.3, 4.4). The wackestone buildup facies had Alloprosallocrinus


conicus as one of the three most dominant species, Eretmocrinus magnificus of secondary importance, and other batocrinids as a minor component. In contrast, in the crinoidal packstone buildup facies, both Eretmocrinus magnificus and Alloprosallocrinus conicus were of primary importance, and many other batocrinid species were only a minor component (Krivicich et al., 2014). Alloprosallocrinus conicus and all of the species of


Eretmocrinus (E. magnificus, E. ramulosus, and E. spinosus) not only occur in carbonate buildup facies, but also are present in low abundance in the autochthonous green shale facies. Other genera and species are restricted to carbonate facies. Abatocrinus grandis, Macrocrinus casualis, Magnuscrinus cumberlandensis n. sp., Uperocrinus nashvillae, and Uperocrinus robustus all occur on both types of carbonate buildups, although their abundances on each type are variable. The only facies-restricted batocrinids are Abatocrinus steropes and Magnuscrinus kammeri, which were present on crinoid packstone buildups. Most batocrinids were also known from the allochthonous


sheet-like packstone facies, but batocrinids are absent from the channel-form packstone facies. Macrocrinus is unusual in that the majority of Fort Payne specimens are only known from allochthonous facies (Table 2). In fact, only Macrocrinus casualis is known from autochthonous facies, where it is present only in both types of buildups (Table 2). We cannot speculate with confidence about the reasons


for the strikingly different distributional patterns among some genera and species of the Batocrinidae. However, the combination of larval types, aerosol suspension feeding para- meters (Ausich, 1980), and holdfast types (largely unknown) may have played important roles. Presumably, crinoids in plat- form settings would have experienced higher current velocities on average for suspension feeding and would have been subjected to more frequent and more intense storm events.


Figure 3. Distribution of Fort Payne Formation localities with batocrinid occurrences in the Lake Cumberland region, with sedimentary facies indicated. (1) Kentucky and Tennessee; (2) general locality map of south-central Kentucky and north-central Tennessee: BF, Blacks Ferry; CE, Celina; 61N, Kentucky Highway 61 north of Burkesville, Kentucky; (3) roadcut localities along Kentucky Highway 61 south of Burkesville, Kentucky; location on (2) is south of the intersection of Highway 61 and the Cumberland River; 61B, 61D, 61DW, 61R, see Meyer et al. (1997); (4) localities along the shoreline of Lake Cumberland; see (2): BT, Big Turbidite; BW, Bugwood; CSN, Cave Springs North; CSS, Cave Springs South; GC, Gross Creek; GCW, Gross Creek West, GR, Greasy Creek; HC, Harmon Creek; MGC, Mouth of Gross Creek; LC, Lily Creek; OB, Owens Branch; OC, Otter Creek; PH, Pleasant Hill; SSF, Seventy-Six Falls; WCS, Wolf Creek South; WCCF, Wolf Creek/Caney Fork. Key to symbols: square, wackestone buildup; diamond, fossiliferous geen shale; circle, crinoidal packstone buildup; upside down triangle, channel fill facies; X, allochthonous facies.


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