130 MIDDLE ALBIAN STRATIGRAPHY 



workers (e.g. Glasunova 1953a ; 18) have recognised above the dentatus Zone, which 

 in effect is equivalent only to the spathi Subzone, a Subzone of Anahoplites asiaticus. 

 It is apparent that this is, in part, of intermedins (e.g. Kopet Dagh, Mangyshlak), and 

 in part of daviesi Subzone age (e.g. Mangyshlak). Anahoplites asiaticus and A. 

 transcaspius Glasunova (1953a) look like early intermedins Subzone Anahoplites com- 

 parable to, although perhaps not specifically identical with species known in the 

 uppermost spathi and basal intermedins Subzones of England and France. A some- 

 what different scheme has been proposed by Sokolov (1966) and this is discussed 

 below (p. 132). 



V. LINKS WITH OTHER FAUNAL PROVINCES 



The following is a brief review of the known links between the hoplitinid and other 

 f aunal provinces at certain levels in the Middle Albian. A vast amount of work still 

 remains to be done to determine the degree of representation of Middle Albian 

 sediments throughout the whole surface of the Earth and so to determine accurately 

 the boundaries of the various faunal provinces. It is becoming apparent, however, 

 that sediments of Middle Albian age are far more restricted in occurrence than those 

 of the Upper Albian, and in many areas where they both occur, there is often evidence 

 of a hiatus between them. Basal Upper Albian sedimentation in widely scattered 

 places on the Earth commenced after a period of erosion (e.g. Europe, and the 

 Malagasy Republic), or they transgress onto very much older surfaces (e.g. Africa). 

 The fauna itself shows evidence of unstable conditions at the base of the Upper 

 Albian (p. 127). Whether Middle Albian sediments were deposited over a widespread 

 area of the Earth only to be removed largely by subsequent erosion is a matter of 

 conjecture. Here, however, we are concerned only with an outline sketch of the 

 boundaries of our province and at what definite levels it is possible to correlate with 

 adjoining provinces. 



A. The boundaries of the hoplitinid province (text-fig. 50) 



The westward boundary of the hoplitinid province during the Middle Albian was 

 formed by the massifs of Morvan and Armorica. These separate the European shelf- 

 sea from the narrow sea-way connected with the Tethyan belt which was then the 

 'Atlantic' (Carey 1958 ; Bullard et al., 1965). No species of Hoplites, Enhoplites, 

 Anahoplites or Dimorphoplites have yet been found in the United States of America 

 and Canada. However, there are tantalising references to a typical hoplitinid fauna 

 in argillaceous sediments in the coastal area N. of Scoresby Sound, E. Greenland 

 (Spath 1946 : Donovan 1949, 1953) which demonstrate that this area also is to be 

 included in the province. If E. Greenland is brought back to its apparent middle 

 Cretaceous position, the coast N. of Scoresby Sound is approximately opposite the 

 northern outlet of the present day North Sea basin. 



At the present time no information is available about Middle Albian sediments in 

 the North Sea Basin, but the evidence from the eastern margin of England and from 

 deep borings in Holland suggest that sediments of Middle Albian age thicken towards 

 at least the south central part of the Basin. The Middle Albian sediments of Ger- 



