Cretaceous basal

Age - Early Cretaceous (Basal part of Subzone IIB Early-Middle Albian). 

Fig. 7. The typical pore-pressure profile of a well drilled within the GEA. Stepped increases in pore-pressure are recorded within the basal Chalk Group and underlying section. The maximum increase in pore-pressure coincides with Lowermost Cretaceous to Upper Jurassic organic-rich clay-stones where it approaches minimum values of LOT/FIT fracture pressure.

The Bossier shale is not only the basal formation for much of the Cotton VaUey Group, but is also interbedded with isolated sands throughout most of eastern Texas and northwestern Louisiana. These shales are typically black, organic-rich, calcareous, fossiliferous, marine deposits which are the primary source rock for much of the entire Upper Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous vertical section. Thinner shale intervals in the western part of the basin thicken to the east correlative to general depositional patterns in the East Texas Basin. Source rock quality is generally poorer in the western and northwestern parts of the basin, but improves significantly easterly towards the basin centre. From west to east, the near-shore sand and low-stand fan deposits are usually completely encased in the marine Bossier shale. 

Cretaceous "Pebble Shale" sandstone, "Walapka Sandstone", "Basal Torok" and Marine and Non-marine sandstones of the Nanushuk Group. 

Moreover, the much-discussed Early Cretaceous fossil angiosperm Archae-fructus (Archaefructaceae) and the recently recognized extant near-basal angiosperm Trithuria (Hydatellaceae) are unhelpfully ambivalent in both senses (Rudall et al., 2008 Rudall and Bateman, 2010). The reproductive truss of Archaefructus has been interpreted as being either a single flower lacking axial condensation (Sun et al., 2002) or an inflorescence of several unisexual flowers, the males... 

Crane, P. R. and Friis, E. M. (2008). Carpestella lacunata gen. et sp. nov., a new basal angiosperm flower from the Early Cretaceous (Early to Middle... 

In conclusion, the question, Did pleurocarpous mosses originate before the Cretaceous has to be answered, Yes, they did. Overall similarity and, especially lateral perichaetia of Palaeodichelyma provide enough evidence for this. Even if the dating of the deposits with Palaeodichelyma shifts to the basal Cretaceous, the fact of its distribution in several localities means its origin must be at least in the Late Jurassic. Bryokhutuliinia and Muscites fontinaloides can also be pleurocarps, though additional evidence is necessary to say this for sure. 

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