Bioerosion and encrustation rates in recent mollusk death-assemblages in a supratidal siliciclastic setting, Veracruz, Gulf of Mexico.

CATALINA GÓMEZ-ESPINOSA; RAÚL GÍO-ARAGEZ; ESTER A. FARINATI; SALVADOR ALIOTTA

Arabian Journal of Geosciences

Springer Berlin Heidelberg

Lugar: Berlín; Año: 2018 p. 11 - 188

1866-7511

AbstractThis study presents both qualitative and quantitative data regarding marine mollusk (gastropods and bivalves) shell bioerosionand encrustation based on death assemblages obtained from a recent supratidal environment in Playa Norte, Veracruz State. Theobjectives of this study were to assess the nature of bioerosion and encrustation processes and to investigate the role of thesetaphonomic features contributing to the deterioration of natural shell accumulations within a tropical siliciclastic tidal environment.The assemblage comprises 31 species: 13 gastropods and 18 bivalves. The bioerosion and encrustation degrees were low tomoderate for both types. The most abundant traces were predatory gastropod structures (Oichnus paraboloides and O. simplex),whereas sponge borings (Entobia isp.), polychaete dwellings (Caulostrepsis taeniola), and echinoid raspings (Gnatichnus isp.)were less frequent. The encrusting organisms include polychaete serpulids, bryozoans, and rare foraminifers (Homotremarubrum). Because of the low bioerosion and encrustation degrees occurring in this area, accumulation is expected to predominateover biotic destruction. As deposition conditions (richly fossiliferous carbonate sandstone beds) were similar to those prevailingin the Tuxpan Formation during the Miocene (Langhian), it is suggested that this study provides an equivalent reference tointerpret mollusk fossil assemblages located in this site.