A MIDDLE C AMEBIAN PAmTA FROM BENNETT ISLAND 21 



As already stated by Fr. Schmidt and Holm, the fauna is of late Middle Cambrian age 

 and a clear parallel to the fauna of the Scandinavian zone of Pm'adoxides forchhammeri. 

 No less than six species seem to be common to Bennett Island and Scandinavia, and related 

 forms of several additional species from Bennett Island occur in the said zone of Scandinavia 

 (compare the table). This is a remarkable faunistic agreement between basins geographically 

 so far distant from each other — Bennett Island being more than 4000 Jem distant from 

 Central Scandinavia. In Middle Cambrian time the Siberian basin was obviously connected 

 directly with the Scandinavian basin and formed part of the Northern Atlantic faunistic 

 province. No form of the Bennett Island fauna is related to any one of the genera distinctive 

 of the contemporary fauna of Eastern Asia, which is one more proof that there existed no 

 direct communication between the Siberian sea and the Sinican sea in Cambrian times. 



Von Toll characterized Bennett Island as being geologically a continuation of the Middle 

 Siberian tableland. This wide and low plateau, occupying the area between the Yenissei 

 and the Lena, is mainly built up of Catibrian deposits. The latter extend southward to 

 the old shield of Asia, which formed the southern shore of the Siberian sea in Cambrian 

 times. Our knowledge of the strata of this vast area is still superficial only, and generally 

 the deposits seem to be almost unfossiliferous. However, fossils indicating deposits which 

 may be correlated with the late Middle Cambrian beds of Bennett Island are known from 

 a few places. Thus, as mentioned above, a pygidium which may be identified with Anomo- 

 care sihericum is known of old from the basin of Olenek, A. excavatum has been found 

 by Tolmatschew in the basin of Anabara and Chatanga (Obrutschew, 1926, p. 75), and at 

 the Maja river (SE of the bend of the Lena) a fauna has been found which, according 

 to Catherine Lermontoff (Obrutschew, 1926, p. 71), is made up of Anomocare limbatwm 

 (Ang.), a. excavatum (Ang.), Agraulos difformis (Ang-.), Centropleura sp., Corynexodms 

 macropMJialmus Leem., Agnostus aculeatus micropwnctatus Leem., i. e. forms which prove 

 that the said Maja river deposits are contemporary with those of Bennett Island. 



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Barrande, J., 1852. Systeme silurien du Centre de la Boheme. 1 partis, vol. I. 1872. Suppl. 



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