SILURIAN CARBONATE PLATFORM PALAEOBIOGEOGRAPHY OF CENTRAL IRAN
KAVEH KHAKSAR *
Department of Soil Science, Institute of Scientific Applied Higher Education of Jihad-E-Agriculture, Education and Extension Organization, Ministry of Agriculture, Karaj, Iran.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
The aspect of biogeography in the Silurian Iranian basin, has been located in the north of Gondwana paleocontinent and southern margin of Paleo Tethys ocean. The corals of the Silurian of the Central Iranian platform have been compared with the Silurian corals of the other provinces of the world.
The Silurian corals of Iranian carbonate platform was studied and up to 31 genera have been distinguished. The following genera are: Strombodes, Spongophylloides, Coronoruga, Aphyllum, Loyolophyllum, Streptelasma, Holmophyllum, Cystiphyllum, Phaulactis, Tenuiphyllum, Heliolites, Hedstroemophyllum, Thecia, Grewingkia, Paliphyllum, Zelophyllum, Propora, Catenipora, Plasmopora, Pseudoplasmopora, Favosites, Thamnopora, Parastriatopora, Spongophyllum, Staphylopora, Cladopora, Syringopora, Mesofavosites, Halysites, Paleofavosites, Parastriatopora.
The whole assemblage of Iran show higher similarity with the North America and North-Asiatic part of the Ex USSR Provinces assemblages.
Keywords: Paleobiogeography, Silurian, Corals, Platform, Central Iran