Middle Devonian invertebrate trace fossils from the marginal marine carbonates of the Zachełmie tetrapod tracksite, Holy Cross Mountains, Poland

• The dolomitic deposits of the Middle Devonian Wojciechowice Formation exposed at the tetrapod tracksite in the Zachełmie Quarry in the Holy Cross Mountains (Poland) are characterised by a low diversity of invertebrate trace fossilassociation. Four ichnoassemblages can be identified in the track-bearing, lower part of the succession. The most conspicuous are trace fossils produced by arthropods (probably crustaceans), which can form distinctive and large horizontal burrows. The described ichnotaxa (cf. Skolithos isp., cf. Balanoglossites isp., Alcyonidiopsis isp., Spongeliomorpha isp., Gordia isp., and Rhizocorallium isp.) are well known from typical marginal-marine and shallow-marine deposits. Nevertheless, the studied assemblages were found in sparsely distributed horizons and are dominated by a single or a few ichnotaxa with locally high trace-densities. Distribution and composition of the trace fossil assemblages probably reflects occurrence of the impoverished, stressed Cruziana ichnofacies. It was affected by changes in water depth with intermittent periods of subaerial exposure connected with salinity fluctuations. The invertebrate trace fossil assemblage, tetrapod tracks and associated sedimentological features point to deposition in a marginal-marine, mostly peritidal and lagoonal environment with minor terrestrial influences.

Ämnesord

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Geovetenskap och miljövetenskap (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Earth and Related Environmental Sciences (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

trace fossils

invertebrates

marginal-marine carbonates

Middle Devonian

tetrapod habitats

Central Europe

Earth Science with specialization in Historical Geology and Palaeontology

Geovetenskap med inriktning mot historisk geologi och paleontologi

Publikations- och innehållstyp

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