Early Cretaceous brachiopods from North-East Greenland: Biofacies and biogeography

Augmentation and revision of the relatively diverse Valanginian brachiopod faunas from North-East Greenland confirm the existence of two mutually exclusive but broadly coeval assemblages, associated with two contrasting facies types. A Boreal, relatively shallow-water assemblage dominated by large terebratulids and ribbed rhynchonellids, including Cyrtothyris, Lamellaerhynchia and Praelongithyris characterizes the Falskebugt fauna. By contrast the Albrechts Bugt and Rødryggen fauna contains Tethyan elements, more typical of deeper water, including Lacunosella, Placothyris, Pygope and Rugitela. This early Cretaceous Out-of-Tethys migration confirms the early and persistent northward track of a proto Gulf Stream current. A new taxon, Placothyris kegeli, is described from the Albrechts Bugt and Rødryggen members of the Palnatokes Bjerg Formation.