Faunal migration into the Late Permian Zechstein Basin – Evidence from bryozoan palaeobiogeography

Late Permian bryozoans from the Wegener Halvø, Ravnefjeld and Schuchert Formations in East Greenland have been investigated. 14 genera are recognised.Integration of the new bryozoan data from the Upper Permian of East Greenland with data on the distribution of Permian bryozoans along the northern margin of Pangea is used to test hypotheses concerning Late Palaeozoic evolution of the North Atlantic region. During the Permian, the Atlantic rift system formed a seaway between Norway and Greenland from the boreal Barents Shelf to the warm and arid Zechstein Basin. This seaway is considered to be the only marine connection to the Zechstein Basin and therefore the only possible migration route for bryozoans to enter the basin. The distribution of Permian bryozoans is largely in keeping with such a connection from the cool Barents Shelf past the East Greenland Basin to the warm Zechstein Basin and also corroborates the change in temperature through this connection.