Sedimentology and biostratigraphy of the Upper Triassic atoll-type carbonates of the Sambosan Accretionary Complex (Panthalassan Domain; Japan): Depositional setting, Paleobiogeography and Relationship to their counterparts in the Tethys

The main goals of the project in this area are to understand the palaeobiogeography and depositional setting of the Upper Triassic carbonates of the Sambosan Subterrane, which are thought to have originated as shallow-marine buildups upon a seamount in the Panthalassa Ocean. The facies interpretation in terms of their stratigraphy, lithology and microscopic characters as well as their micropaleontological content will also be discussed. Special interest will be focused on the comparison of the Sambosan carbonates with the coeval ones of the Wallowa Mountains (north-eastern Oregon), which also have Panthalassan affinity. Finally, establishing the relationship between Japanese and western North American localities with the better known counterparts in the Tethyan Domain, would be highly significant in explaining why these distant localities in the Pacific Province have so many species and microfacies types in common with those of the close Tethys.