148-1 Relationship Between Foraminiferan Morphology and the Paleoenvironment of the Northview Formation of Southwestern Missouri

Session: Insights from Microfossils and Their Modern Analogs: From Traditional to Emerging Approaches (Posters)

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The Northview Formation in southwest Missouri is a siliciclastic sequence of shales and siltstones that disrupts the lower Mississippian carbonate succession observed in this region. In 2021, Rovey et al. used lithological interpretations to propose that the Northview Formation is deltaic in origin instead of a structural basin. Within this formation is a diverse collection of fossil fauna, including microfossils of smaller foraminifera. In order to observe the relationship between foraminiferan morphology and a changing deltaic environment, these foraminifera were collected and separated from the shales and siltstones of the Northview Formation using a kerosene-based extraction method. Samples were collected in five-foot increments from the highest point that can be safely reached to the lowest at an outcrop north of Springfield, Missouri. These samples were collected in less than five-foot intervals if lithological change was present. Foraminiferan morphology was recorded and compared to the lithology of the Northview Formation. Correlation between morphology and lithology demonstrate a feasible relationship but will need further research, more study areas, and more samples to support the deltaic deposition hypothesis.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Program. Vol. 57, No. 6, 2025

doi: 10.1130/abs/2025AM-9514

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