The Tremadocian (Early Ordovician) is currently considered a time span of greenhouse conditions w... more The Tremadocian (Early Ordovician) is currently considered a time span of greenhouse conditions with tropical water surface temperature estimates, interpolated from oxygen isotopes, approaching 40 °C. In the mid-latitude Baltoscandian Basin, conodonts displaying low δ 18 O values, which suggest high temperatures (>40 °C) in the water column, are in contrast with the discovery of contemporaneous glendonite clusters, a pseudomorph of ikaite (CaCO 3 ·6H 2 O) traditionally considered as indicator of near-freezing bottom-water conditions. The massive precipitation of this temperature sensitive mineral is associated with transgressive conditions and high organic productivity. As a result, the lower Tremadocian sediments of Baltoscandia apparently contain both "greenhouse" pelagic signals and near-freezing substrate indicators. This paradox points to other primary controlling mechanisms for ikaite precipitation in kerogenous substrates, such as carbonate alkalinity, pH and Mg/Ca ratios, as recently constrained by laboratory experiments. Preservation of "hot" conodonts embedded in kerogenous shales rich in δ 18 o-depleted glendonites suggests both the onset of sharp thermal stratification patterns in a semi-closed basin and the assumed influence of isotopically depleted freshwater yielded by fluvial systems. Except one rather controversial note 1 , the record of glendonites displays an apparent gap from Neopoterozoic 2 to Permian 3 times. However, similar calcareous nodular aggregates embedded in Tremadocian black shales of the East Baltic (Fig. 1a), the so-called "antraconites", have been known for more than 150 years. These aggregates are documented from 24 geographical localities in the Türisalu and Koporiye formations (Cordylodus angulatus-Paltodus deltifer pristinus zones) and sporadically in the Orasoja Member (upper part of the Kallavere Formation; Cordylodus angulatus-Paltodus deltifer pristinus zones), exposed along 600 km of the Baltic-Ladoga Glint 4 , a transect linking North Estonia to the eastern St Petersburg area (Fig. 1b). All these units were accumulated in the
Abstract Micropalaeontological investigations of Upper Ordovician carbonate mud-mounds and enclos... more Abstract Micropalaeontological investigations of Upper Ordovician carbonate mud-mounds and enclosing strata of subsurface Gotland, Sweden, demonstrate that jaw-bearing polychaetes formed the most diverse faunal element associated with these build-ups. Although not present within the mound cores (intra-mound facies), scolecodonts, or polychaete jaws, occur abundantly immediately below and particularly above the mounds; the supra-mound facies also has the most diverse fossil assemblages.
Abstract. According to the latest view on stratigraphy, chronostratigraphic units, stages inclusi... more Abstract. According to the latest view on stratigraphy, chronostratigraphic units, stages inclusive, can be unambiguously defined only by their lower boundary-stratotypes. The Ordovician regional stages of Estonia are mostly distinguished based on their content rather than their boundaries, and in many cases lack appropriate lower boundary-stratotypes. In this study we propose the boundarystratotype for the Keila Regional Stage.
In the abandoned Aluvere quarry near Rakvere, south of the Tallinn–Narva road, the limestone succ... more In the abandoned Aluvere quarry near Rakvere, south of the Tallinn–Narva road, the limestone succession of the Kahula Formation, Haljala Stage (Caradoc) is exposed. In the southern wall of the quarry 6 m of limestone can be studied, characterising the Aluvere and Pagari members of the Kahula Formation (Jõhvi Substage of the Haljala Stage; Fig. 1). The limestone can be classified as wackestone to packstone with a varying content (10–25%) of siliciclastic mud.
Institute of Geology at Tallinn University of Technology, Estonia< olle@ gi. ee>,< nolvak@ gi. ee... more Institute of Geology at Tallinn University of Technology, Estonia< olle@ gi. ee>,< nolvak@ gi. ee>,< viira@ gi. ee> data). Most of the samples from the Kadriorg section are barren of chitinozoans. The only productive sample comes from an irregular lens of soft clay within the glauconitic sandstone of the Leetse Fm.(maximum thickness ca 1 cm) and contains an exceptional chitinozoan assemblage. The samples previously studied from other northern Estonian sites contain as a rule few specimens of up to three species.
29 WOGOGOB-2004 CONFERENCE MATERIALS Scolecodonts, the jaws of polychaete annelid worms, are comm... more 29 WOGOGOB-2004 CONFERENCE MATERIALS Scolecodonts, the jaws of polychaete annelid worms, are common microfossils in Ordovician sedimentary rocks and are currently known from many different regions of the world, eg, Australia, Kazakhstan, China, South America, North America, and Europe (Hints et al. 2004). However, except for the two latter regions, the available data are too meager to allow analyses of diversity trends and biogeographic distribution patterns at the genus and species level.
Abstract. Integrated palaeontological and sedimentological study of the Upper Ordovician Vormsi S... more Abstract. Integrated palaeontological and sedimentological study of the Upper Ordovician Vormsi Stage in the Lelle drill core section, Central Estonia, revealed an association of shelly fauna containing the endemic saukrodictyid brachiopod Hulterstadia cor (Wiman), which is otherwise known only from erratic boulders close to Hulterstad in the southeastern area of the Island of Öland, Sweden. In the Lelle core this fauna occurs in the uppermost Fungochitina spinifera chitinozoan Biozone of mid-Vormsi age.
An abundant, diverse and well-preserved fauna of jaw-bearing polychaetes (Annelida, Polychaeta, E... more An abundant, diverse and well-preserved fauna of jaw-bearing polychaetes (Annelida, Polychaeta, Eunicida) was recovered from the late Viruan (Caradoc) of eight borehole sections in North Estonia and the St. Petersburg region. Altogether 46 species are encountered. Two new genera, Incisipnon with type species I. incisus@ helm-Jaworowska, 1966) and Estonioprion with type species E. maennili sp.
Pääsküla Hillock is situated at the southern boundary of Tallinn, close to the Tallinn–Pärnu road... more Pääsküla Hillock is situated at the southern boundary of Tallinn, close to the Tallinn–Pärnu road. A 3 km long, 2.4 km wide and 18 m high bedrock elevation in the discussed area is in most part occupied by the outcrop of the Keila Stage. The Quaternary cover is seldom thicker than 0.3 m on the hillock and the area is rich in bedrock exposures. Most of the outcrops have been created artificially during the construction of Russian defensive positions between 1912 and 1918.
This paper deals with a diverse fauna of polychaetes possessing jaws (= scolecodonts) from the la... more This paper deals with a diverse fauna of polychaetes possessing jaws (= scolecodonts) from the late Silurian Kopanina Formation of the Prague Basin (Czech Republic). The most common genera are Kettnerites, Oenonites and Pistoprion; the entire collection contains at least 16 genera. This is in stark contrast to the four genera recorded from this region by previous authors.
The kukersite oil shale is composed of the stratigraphically widespread matforming cyanobacterium... more The kukersite oil shale is composed of the stratigraphically widespread matforming cyanobacterium Gloeocapsomorpha prisca Zalessky. In Estonia, Ordovician kukersite-bearing strata are assigned to the Kunda to Porkuni regional stages. However, commercially important kukersite beds and the Estonia oil shale deposit belong to the Kukruse Regional Stage. As a stratigraphic unit, the Kukruse Stage was established already in the late 19th Century:" Kuckerssche Schicht" by F.
Proc. Estonian Acad. Sci. Geol., 1998, 47, 2, 77-85 REVISION OF THE ORDOVICIAN AND SILURIAN RAMPH... more Proc. Estonian Acad. Sci. Geol., 1998, 47, 2, 77-85 REVISION OF THE ORDOVICIAN AND SILURIAN RAMPHOPRIONID POLYCHAETES FROM SEVERNAYA ZEMLYA, RUSSIAN ARCTIC Olle HINTS Institute of Geology at Tallinn Technical University, Estonia pst. 7, EE-0001 Tallinn, Estonia; e-mail: olle@ gi. ee Received 20 October 1997, in revised form 13 November 1997 Abstract.
Abstract. Investigation of subsurface tunnels in Paaskiila Hillock revealed outcrops of the 27-cm... more Abstract. Investigation of subsurface tunnels in Paaskiila Hillock revealed outcrops of the 27-cmthick Kinnckulle altered volcanic ash bed. Preliminary X-ray diffractometric study showed that the dominating minerals are potassium feldspar and illitc-smectite. Palaeontological investigations revealed abundant scolecodonts in the bed, suggesting the infaunal mode of life for some Ordovician polychaete worms.
Abstract. Over 150 years of progress in the Ordovician geology and stratigraphy of Estonia has re... more Abstract. Over 150 years of progress in the Ordovician geology and stratigraphy of Estonia has resulted in one of the most precise Ordovician timescales in the world. In this paper, an up-to-date version of the Ordovician timescale of Estonia is provided. Recent developments in graptolite, chitinozoan, and conodont biostratigraphy, and the correlation with the global standard are briefly commented upon.
Abstract. The distribution of chitinozoans in the Väo Formation (Lasnamägi and Uhaku regional sta... more Abstract. The distribution of chitinozoans in the Väo Formation (Lasnamägi and Uhaku regional stages, Darriwilian) of the Uuga Cliff, Pakri Peninsula, NW Estonia, was investigated from 62 samples. Chitinozoans are very common and assemblages are diverse, with a total of 36 species and up to 170 specimens per gram of rock. The assemblage is dominated by Belonechitina, Desmochitina, Cyathochitina, and Euconochitina.
Middle Miocene sediments of the Central Depression have been studied based on foraminifera with a... more Middle Miocene sediments of the Central Depression have been studied based on foraminifera with a view to characterize palaeoenvironmental conditions. Rock material from HV-5 Rybníček core were used. Foraminiferal evidence indicates biostratigraphic range of the lower part of the Upper Lagenid Zone (Early Badenian–Langhian, Middle Miocene). The sediments originate from a deeper marine basin at the level of outer shelf with potential extension deeper into the bathyal realm.
The Late Ordovician (455 Ma) Kinnekulle volcanic ash-fall represents one of the largest ash erupt... more The Late Ordovician (455 Ma) Kinnekulle volcanic ash-fall represents one of the largest ash eruptions known in Phanerozoic history. The dynamics of ostracodes, polychaete annelids and some shelly macrofauna across the Kinnekulle Bed in the Pääsküla section, northern Estonia indicate some significant faunal changes.
Abstract. A previously unknown outcrop of the Kinnekulle K-bentonite (metabentonite) is reported ... more Abstract. A previously unknown outcrop of the Kinnekulle K-bentonite (metabentonite) is reported from the Põõsaspea cliff, NW Estonia. The bed has a sharp lower and a gradational upper contact and comprises ca 28 cm of clay overlain by ca 10 cm of hard K-feldspar-rich variety. The latter contains a layer of breccia, which indicates early onset of recrystallization and hardening of volcanic material. The discovery shows that the Põõsaspea cliff section is younger than previously thought and includes rocks of both Haljala and Keila stages.
Abstract. A new Late Ordovician polychaete genus Kaljoprion, with K. laevaensis gen. et sp. nov. ... more Abstract. A new Late Ordovician polychaete genus Kaljoprion, with K. laevaensis gen. et sp. nov. as the type species, is described from the Nabala Regional Stage of the Laeva-18 drill core, central Estonia. The genus has a labidognath-type apparatus with the first and second maxillae equipped with anterior denticles developed into characteristic transversal ridges.
The fossil polychaete family Polychaeturidae is considered as monogeneric and comprises four spec... more The fossil polychaete family Polychaeturidae is considered as monogeneric and comprises four species of the genus Pteropelta. Pteropelta, originally established on isolated scolecodonts (the carriers), is revised and the apparatus-based Polychaetura is shown to be a junior synonym of Pteropelta. In addition to Pteropelta gladiata and Pteropelta kielanae, Pteropelta huberti sp. nov., and Pteropelta sp. A are herein described from the Upper Ordovician of Estonia and Sweden.
The Tremadocian (Early Ordovician) is currently considered a time span of greenhouse conditions w... more The Tremadocian (Early Ordovician) is currently considered a time span of greenhouse conditions with tropical water surface temperature estimates, interpolated from oxygen isotopes, approaching 40 °C. In the mid-latitude Baltoscandian Basin, conodonts displaying low δ 18 O values, which suggest high temperatures (>40 °C) in the water column, are in contrast with the discovery of contemporaneous glendonite clusters, a pseudomorph of ikaite (CaCO 3 ·6H 2 O) traditionally considered as indicator of near-freezing bottom-water conditions. The massive precipitation of this temperature sensitive mineral is associated with transgressive conditions and high organic productivity. As a result, the lower Tremadocian sediments of Baltoscandia apparently contain both "greenhouse" pelagic signals and near-freezing substrate indicators. This paradox points to other primary controlling mechanisms for ikaite precipitation in kerogenous substrates, such as carbonate alkalinity, pH and Mg/Ca ratios, as recently constrained by laboratory experiments. Preservation of "hot" conodonts embedded in kerogenous shales rich in δ 18 o-depleted glendonites suggests both the onset of sharp thermal stratification patterns in a semi-closed basin and the assumed influence of isotopically depleted freshwater yielded by fluvial systems. Except one rather controversial note 1 , the record of glendonites displays an apparent gap from Neopoterozoic 2 to Permian 3 times. However, similar calcareous nodular aggregates embedded in Tremadocian black shales of the East Baltic (Fig. 1a), the so-called "antraconites", have been known for more than 150 years. These aggregates are documented from 24 geographical localities in the Türisalu and Koporiye formations (Cordylodus angulatus-Paltodus deltifer pristinus zones) and sporadically in the Orasoja Member (upper part of the Kallavere Formation; Cordylodus angulatus-Paltodus deltifer pristinus zones), exposed along 600 km of the Baltic-Ladoga Glint 4 , a transect linking North Estonia to the eastern St Petersburg area (Fig. 1b). All these units were accumulated in the
Abstract Micropalaeontological investigations of Upper Ordovician carbonate mud-mounds and enclos... more Abstract Micropalaeontological investigations of Upper Ordovician carbonate mud-mounds and enclosing strata of subsurface Gotland, Sweden, demonstrate that jaw-bearing polychaetes formed the most diverse faunal element associated with these build-ups. Although not present within the mound cores (intra-mound facies), scolecodonts, or polychaete jaws, occur abundantly immediately below and particularly above the mounds; the supra-mound facies also has the most diverse fossil assemblages.
Abstract. According to the latest view on stratigraphy, chronostratigraphic units, stages inclusi... more Abstract. According to the latest view on stratigraphy, chronostratigraphic units, stages inclusive, can be unambiguously defined only by their lower boundary-stratotypes. The Ordovician regional stages of Estonia are mostly distinguished based on their content rather than their boundaries, and in many cases lack appropriate lower boundary-stratotypes. In this study we propose the boundarystratotype for the Keila Regional Stage.
In the abandoned Aluvere quarry near Rakvere, south of the Tallinn–Narva road, the limestone succ... more In the abandoned Aluvere quarry near Rakvere, south of the Tallinn–Narva road, the limestone succession of the Kahula Formation, Haljala Stage (Caradoc) is exposed. In the southern wall of the quarry 6 m of limestone can be studied, characterising the Aluvere and Pagari members of the Kahula Formation (Jõhvi Substage of the Haljala Stage; Fig. 1). The limestone can be classified as wackestone to packstone with a varying content (10–25%) of siliciclastic mud.
Institute of Geology at Tallinn University of Technology, Estonia< olle@ gi. ee>,< nolvak@ gi. ee... more Institute of Geology at Tallinn University of Technology, Estonia< olle@ gi. ee>,< nolvak@ gi. ee>,< viira@ gi. ee> data). Most of the samples from the Kadriorg section are barren of chitinozoans. The only productive sample comes from an irregular lens of soft clay within the glauconitic sandstone of the Leetse Fm.(maximum thickness ca 1 cm) and contains an exceptional chitinozoan assemblage. The samples previously studied from other northern Estonian sites contain as a rule few specimens of up to three species.
29 WOGOGOB-2004 CONFERENCE MATERIALS Scolecodonts, the jaws of polychaete annelid worms, are comm... more 29 WOGOGOB-2004 CONFERENCE MATERIALS Scolecodonts, the jaws of polychaete annelid worms, are common microfossils in Ordovician sedimentary rocks and are currently known from many different regions of the world, eg, Australia, Kazakhstan, China, South America, North America, and Europe (Hints et al. 2004). However, except for the two latter regions, the available data are too meager to allow analyses of diversity trends and biogeographic distribution patterns at the genus and species level.
Abstract. Integrated palaeontological and sedimentological study of the Upper Ordovician Vormsi S... more Abstract. Integrated palaeontological and sedimentological study of the Upper Ordovician Vormsi Stage in the Lelle drill core section, Central Estonia, revealed an association of shelly fauna containing the endemic saukrodictyid brachiopod Hulterstadia cor (Wiman), which is otherwise known only from erratic boulders close to Hulterstad in the southeastern area of the Island of Öland, Sweden. In the Lelle core this fauna occurs in the uppermost Fungochitina spinifera chitinozoan Biozone of mid-Vormsi age.
An abundant, diverse and well-preserved fauna of jaw-bearing polychaetes (Annelida, Polychaeta, E... more An abundant, diverse and well-preserved fauna of jaw-bearing polychaetes (Annelida, Polychaeta, Eunicida) was recovered from the late Viruan (Caradoc) of eight borehole sections in North Estonia and the St. Petersburg region. Altogether 46 species are encountered. Two new genera, Incisipnon with type species I. incisus@ helm-Jaworowska, 1966) and Estonioprion with type species E. maennili sp.
Pääsküla Hillock is situated at the southern boundary of Tallinn, close to the Tallinn–Pärnu road... more Pääsküla Hillock is situated at the southern boundary of Tallinn, close to the Tallinn–Pärnu road. A 3 km long, 2.4 km wide and 18 m high bedrock elevation in the discussed area is in most part occupied by the outcrop of the Keila Stage. The Quaternary cover is seldom thicker than 0.3 m on the hillock and the area is rich in bedrock exposures. Most of the outcrops have been created artificially during the construction of Russian defensive positions between 1912 and 1918.
This paper deals with a diverse fauna of polychaetes possessing jaws (= scolecodonts) from the la... more This paper deals with a diverse fauna of polychaetes possessing jaws (= scolecodonts) from the late Silurian Kopanina Formation of the Prague Basin (Czech Republic). The most common genera are Kettnerites, Oenonites and Pistoprion; the entire collection contains at least 16 genera. This is in stark contrast to the four genera recorded from this region by previous authors.
The kukersite oil shale is composed of the stratigraphically widespread matforming cyanobacterium... more The kukersite oil shale is composed of the stratigraphically widespread matforming cyanobacterium Gloeocapsomorpha prisca Zalessky. In Estonia, Ordovician kukersite-bearing strata are assigned to the Kunda to Porkuni regional stages. However, commercially important kukersite beds and the Estonia oil shale deposit belong to the Kukruse Regional Stage. As a stratigraphic unit, the Kukruse Stage was established already in the late 19th Century:" Kuckerssche Schicht" by F.
Proc. Estonian Acad. Sci. Geol., 1998, 47, 2, 77-85 REVISION OF THE ORDOVICIAN AND SILURIAN RAMPH... more Proc. Estonian Acad. Sci. Geol., 1998, 47, 2, 77-85 REVISION OF THE ORDOVICIAN AND SILURIAN RAMPHOPRIONID POLYCHAETES FROM SEVERNAYA ZEMLYA, RUSSIAN ARCTIC Olle HINTS Institute of Geology at Tallinn Technical University, Estonia pst. 7, EE-0001 Tallinn, Estonia; e-mail: olle@ gi. ee Received 20 October 1997, in revised form 13 November 1997 Abstract.
Abstract. Investigation of subsurface tunnels in Paaskiila Hillock revealed outcrops of the 27-cm... more Abstract. Investigation of subsurface tunnels in Paaskiila Hillock revealed outcrops of the 27-cmthick Kinnckulle altered volcanic ash bed. Preliminary X-ray diffractometric study showed that the dominating minerals are potassium feldspar and illitc-smectite. Palaeontological investigations revealed abundant scolecodonts in the bed, suggesting the infaunal mode of life for some Ordovician polychaete worms.
Abstract. Over 150 years of progress in the Ordovician geology and stratigraphy of Estonia has re... more Abstract. Over 150 years of progress in the Ordovician geology and stratigraphy of Estonia has resulted in one of the most precise Ordovician timescales in the world. In this paper, an up-to-date version of the Ordovician timescale of Estonia is provided. Recent developments in graptolite, chitinozoan, and conodont biostratigraphy, and the correlation with the global standard are briefly commented upon.
Abstract. The distribution of chitinozoans in the Väo Formation (Lasnamägi and Uhaku regional sta... more Abstract. The distribution of chitinozoans in the Väo Formation (Lasnamägi and Uhaku regional stages, Darriwilian) of the Uuga Cliff, Pakri Peninsula, NW Estonia, was investigated from 62 samples. Chitinozoans are very common and assemblages are diverse, with a total of 36 species and up to 170 specimens per gram of rock. The assemblage is dominated by Belonechitina, Desmochitina, Cyathochitina, and Euconochitina.
Middle Miocene sediments of the Central Depression have been studied based on foraminifera with a... more Middle Miocene sediments of the Central Depression have been studied based on foraminifera with a view to characterize palaeoenvironmental conditions. Rock material from HV-5 Rybníček core were used. Foraminiferal evidence indicates biostratigraphic range of the lower part of the Upper Lagenid Zone (Early Badenian–Langhian, Middle Miocene). The sediments originate from a deeper marine basin at the level of outer shelf with potential extension deeper into the bathyal realm.
The Late Ordovician (455 Ma) Kinnekulle volcanic ash-fall represents one of the largest ash erupt... more The Late Ordovician (455 Ma) Kinnekulle volcanic ash-fall represents one of the largest ash eruptions known in Phanerozoic history. The dynamics of ostracodes, polychaete annelids and some shelly macrofauna across the Kinnekulle Bed in the Pääsküla section, northern Estonia indicate some significant faunal changes.
Abstract. A previously unknown outcrop of the Kinnekulle K-bentonite (metabentonite) is reported ... more Abstract. A previously unknown outcrop of the Kinnekulle K-bentonite (metabentonite) is reported from the Põõsaspea cliff, NW Estonia. The bed has a sharp lower and a gradational upper contact and comprises ca 28 cm of clay overlain by ca 10 cm of hard K-feldspar-rich variety. The latter contains a layer of breccia, which indicates early onset of recrystallization and hardening of volcanic material. The discovery shows that the Põõsaspea cliff section is younger than previously thought and includes rocks of both Haljala and Keila stages.
Abstract. A new Late Ordovician polychaete genus Kaljoprion, with K. laevaensis gen. et sp. nov. ... more Abstract. A new Late Ordovician polychaete genus Kaljoprion, with K. laevaensis gen. et sp. nov. as the type species, is described from the Nabala Regional Stage of the Laeva-18 drill core, central Estonia. The genus has a labidognath-type apparatus with the first and second maxillae equipped with anterior denticles developed into characteristic transversal ridges.
The fossil polychaete family Polychaeturidae is considered as monogeneric and comprises four spec... more The fossil polychaete family Polychaeturidae is considered as monogeneric and comprises four species of the genus Pteropelta. Pteropelta, originally established on isolated scolecodonts (the carriers), is revised and the apparatus-based Polychaetura is shown to be a junior synonym of Pteropelta. In addition to Pteropelta gladiata and Pteropelta kielanae, Pteropelta huberti sp. nov., and Pteropelta sp. A are herein described from the Upper Ordovician of Estonia and Sweden.
Uploads
Papers by Olle Hints