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INTRODUCTION
ThePermian-CarboniferousrugosecoralsoftheCordilleran-Arctic-Uralian
(C-A-U)Realm,sensuFedorowski(1986),belongtothebestknowngroupofan-
imalsofthoseperiods,andSpitsbergenstandsoutfromtheentireC-A-URealm
foritsexceptionallylargeaccumulationoftheirfossils.Theclimateobtaining
intheCarboniferousandEarlyPermianwasfavourabletotheirdevelopment,
aswellasthatofbrachiopods,echinoderms,bryozoansandspongesthatco-
occurredwiththem.Atthattimetoday’sSvalbardArchipelagolayroughly
justabovetheTropicofCancer(GolonkaandFord2000,Scotese2000)andin
thoseperiodsandlaterkeptmovingnorthwards(Beauchamp1994,Reidet
al.2007)untilithadreacheditspresentlocationbetweenthe75thand80th
parallelsinthenorthernsubpolarzone.Asaresult,Svalbard,situatedatthat
timeonthenorthernmarginofthedriftingsupercontinentPangea,experi-
encedachangeinclimaticconditionsfromtropicalandhumidintheEarly
CarboniferoustotemperateintheLatePermian(Beauchamp1994,Beauchamp
andDesrochers1997,BeauchampandBaud2003,Stemmerik1997,2000).Rocks
oftheLowerPermianarestillsimilartothosefromtheupperCarboniferous
(WordiekammenandTreskeloddenFormations,KasimoviantoSakmarianin
age)becauseinbothcasestheydevelopedinasimilarenvironmentofshallow
water,locallypassingintodryland.BytheendoftheEarlyPermian,intensive
evaporationhadledtotheformationofgypsums,anhydritesanddolomites
(GipshukenFormation;Sakmarian/Artinskian).IntheMiddle(Fig.1)andLate
Permian,Pangea’snorthernshelvesreachedthesub-Arctic,andperhapsalso
Arcticregions(Beauchamp1994,Reidetal.2007).Thedominanttypesofrock
ofthoseseriesaresiliceouslimestonescontainingnumerousspongespicules
andshells,mostlyofbrachiopods,aswellassandstonesandlimestonesre-
strictedtoisolatedhighs(StemmerikandWorsley2005).
RocksformedinthePermian-Carboniferousareexposedonallthemajor
islandsoftheSvalbardArchipelago.Theyhavebeenmostextensivelyexam-
inedonSpitsbergenIsland,northandeastofIsfjorden.Theycanmostlybe
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