The occurrence of Permian blocks near Calypsobyen, Spitsbergen and their significance

Abstract

During the summer of 1978 the writers examined and mapped the upper Precambrian Kapp Lyell tillites near Calypsobyen south of Bellsund (Fig. 1) in the course of a study of the tectonic history of west Spitsbergen. The tillites are quite massive and have been deformed by several tectonic events (Kowallis 1979). During our work we found several large, flat-lying blocks of fossiliferous, silicified limestone near the present terminus of Scottbreen (Fig. 2), resting directly on outcrops of Precambriantillites. The largest of these blocks measured approximately 2m x Im x Im. The blocks contain abundant productid and spirified brachiopods, as well asbryozoans, cords, and bivalves. The fossils are similar to those described by Frebold(1937) and Gobbett (1964) from the Permian of Svalbard. The blocks appear to correlate with the Kapp Starostin Formation (upper Permian), as described by Cutbiu and Challinor (1965) and Flood et al. (1971).