Ichnofauna record cryptic marine incursions onto a coastal floodplain at a key Lower Mississippian tetrapod site
Carys E. BennettAndrew S. HowardSarah J. DaviesTimothy KearseyD. MillwardPeter BrandM. A. E. BrowneEmma ReevesJohn Marshall
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A new study of the ichnotaxonomy and palaeoecology of the Late Pennsylvanian San Giorgio Basin's trace fossils was carried out. The tetrapod tracks were attributed to Batrachichnus salamandroides and to indet. tracks with a possible small temnospondyl and/or lepospondyl affinity. The invertebrate trace fossils include locomotion traces (Diplichnites isp.), grazing traces (Cochlichnus anguineus), and feeding structures (Treptichnus bifurcus, Treptichnus isp.). The trace fossils were evaluated by means of ichnofacies, highlighting a transitional Scoyenia-Mermia ichnofacies, typical of Carboniferous freshwater settings. The trace fossil co-occurrence and taphonomy was utilized to give a new interpretation of the fossil-bearing lithofacies, which are dolomitic mudstones-fine sandstones expression of marginal lacustrine environments repeatedly subject to flooding (three different ichnoassociations highlight different bathymetry/emersion). This is the oldest continental ichnoassociation of Italy, and its moderately high diversity and complexity suggest further study of this important Carboniferous trace fossil locality.
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The ichnological study of the Hawaz Formation evidence the existence of an important correlation between lithofacies associations and trace fossil assemblages. Recognized ichnoassemblages can be linked to two archetypal Ichnofacies: Skolithos and Cruziana. The first is represented by strogly bioturbated sandstones with Skolithos, a vertical dwelling burrow od a suspension-feeder. These piperocks characterize persistent high-energy settings, such as those found in shoreface or inner platform setting. In contrast, the Cruziana ichnofacies is constituted by horizontal locomotion, feeding or resting trace, mostly produced by deposit-feeders. The most abundant trace fossils are Cruziana, Rusophycus and Artrophycus. This Ichnofacies is found in hetherolitic facies corresponding to lower-energy shallow subtidal setting. The incorporation of ichnological data to sedimentological analysis demonstrates to be a powerful tool in paleoenvironmental interpretation of depositional settings.
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Abstract A quantitative study of trace fossil abundance in the Middle Eocene deep‐marine clastic systems, Ainsa‐Jaca basin, Spanish Pyrenees, shows that they are powerful discriminators of submarine fan and related environments. Sixteen fan and related environments are recognized from upper‐slope gully to the distal basin‐floor. For each environment, the degree of bioturbation (density), trace‐fossil diversity, number of pre‐depositional and post‐depositional trace fossils, as well as the number of graphoglyptid ichnospecies were quantified. In the more laterally confined and channel‐dominated Ainsa basin, there is a trend of increasing bioturbation intensity and trace‐fossil diversity away from channel‐axis to off‐axis environments. In the more unconfined and distal Jaca basin, there is a trend of increasing trace‐fossil diversity and number of pre‐depositional trace fossils including graphoglyptids from the channel‐lobe transition to the fan‐fringe. The trace‐fossil assemblages of the Ainsa‐Jaca basin are characteristic of a number of sub‐ichnofacies of the Nereites ichnofacies. In the distal Jaca basin, the Paleodictyon sub‐ichnofacies occurs in the lobe‐fringe and fan‐fringe, whereas the distal basin‐floor has a trace‐fossil assemblage typical of the Paleodictyon sub‐ichnofacies, but with a high proportion of post‐depositional fodinichnia . Trace‐fossil assemblages of proximal basin, axial, environments are characteristic of the Ophiomorpha rudis sub‐ichnofacies, whilst proximal off‐axis environments, have a mixed Paleodictyon‐Ophiomorpha rudis sub‐ichnofacies trace‐fossil assemblage.
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The presence of spiral trace fossils is reported for the first time from six localities in strata of the Vryheid Formation of the Ecca Group (Lower Permian) in South Africa. These localities are all in the northeast part of the main Karoo basin of sedimentation. The fossils arc assigned to the ichnospecies Spirodesmos archimedeus, representing the spiral trail or burrow of a deposit-feeding organism. In contrast to other reports of spiral trace fossils, the Spirodesmos traces described here were formed in a shallow-water environment. This is established on both sedimentary and ichnofacies evidence. Associated trace fossils include Skolithos, Corophioides and Siphonichnus, all of which arc members of the Skolithos ichnofacies of Scilacher. The occurrence of Spirodesmos in this ichnofacies suggests that these strata were deposited in a marine basin.
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Abstract Offshore marine deposits of hemipelagic dark-gray shales comprising the Middle Devonian Mahantango Formation have yielded the first evidence of the trace fossil Paleodictyon from Pennsylvania. Paleodictyon occurs in conjunction with a diversity of largely deposit-feeding trace fossils belonging to the Cruziana ichnofacies, and documents another example of a shallower-water occurrence of this ichnofossil in Paleozoic rocks. Keywords: Paleodictyon Mahantango FormationMiddle DevonianPennsylvania ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I thank Pat Lynch, Chief, Resource and Research Planning Division, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, for access to study and collect specimens. I also thank Rodrigo Pellegrini, New Jersey State Museum, where the illustrated specimens are housed, and Jeffrey Shreiner, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, for their continued support. I thank Jacob Benner and Will Heyniger. I also particularly thank Andreas Wetzel and the anonymous reviewers for comments that greatly improved the manuscript.
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ABSTRACT Late Triassic invertebrate and plant trace fossils are described from the Pebbly Arkose Formation of the Upper Karoo Group (Gwembe Sub-basin, Mid-Zambezi Basin), Zimbabwe. These ichnofossils appear in pedogenically modified siltstone and silty mudstone floodplain deposits and overbank fluvial channels. The ichnofossil-bearing sites show variability in their pedogenic features, maturity and preservation. Invertebrate ichnofossils are primarily recorded as horizontal, vertical and inclined burrows, sometimes branched, lined or unlined and may have an active meniscate infill. The common forms documented are Taenidium, Beaconites, Palaeophycus, Skolithos, and Planolites ispp. with some rare and more unusual morphologies (i.e., ‘Y’-shaped burrow type). Ichnofossil-bearing sites show a low-diversity but high-density of traces commonly dominated by Taenidium and Planolites ispp. The greatest diversity of invertebrate ichnofossils are within interbedded overbank sandstones in weakly pedogenically modified overbank sites. Rhizohalos and rhizoliths are common and often include carbonate infilled roots. Given the abundance and dimensions of fossilized wood and the rhizohalos and rhizoliths, the Pebbly Arkose Formation supported both large and small stature plants. Overall, the studied Pebbly Arkose Formation overbank areas are typically well-drained, calcic palaeosols subject to variable discharge, subaerial exposure, and supporting a diversity of plant and invertebrates tracemakers that lived in a semi-arid to sub-humid environment.
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