INCITAP   20787
INSTITUTO DE CIENCIAS DE LA TIERRA Y AMBIENTALES DE LA PAMPA
Unidad Ejecutora - UE
capítulos de libros
Título:
Invertebrate and vertebrate trace fossils from continental carbonates
Autor/es:
JORGE FERNANDO GENISE; RICARDO NESTOR MELCHOR; EDUARDO SERGIO BELLOSI; MARIANO VERDE
Libro:
Continental Carbonates
Editorial:
Elsevier
Referencias:
Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2008;
Resumen:
This chapter presents a revision of trace fossil assemblages from continental Mesozoic and Cenozoic carbonates, including calcretes, lacustrine and eolian carbonates. In addition a few examples in travertine and tufa are mentioned. Calcareous paleosols, developed in terrestrial and palustrine settings, display a recurrent association of insect trace fossils dominated by bee nests typically associated with freshwater and terrestrial gastropods and hackberry endocarps. Seven cases and three additional possible examples of these assemblages are revised in detail. They range in age from Cretaceous to Miocene and are known from South and North America, Europe and Africa. These examples are used to support an incipient Celliforma ichnofacies. The Celliforma ichnofacies would be indicative of a drier climate and lower vegetation coverage than those represented by the Coprinisphaera ichnofacies, particularly scrubs to woodlands. The examples of trace fossil assemblages from lacustrine carbonates are more numerous (39 cases) and varied. These examples can be divided between carbonate-dominated, mixed carbonate-siliciclastic, and evaporite lacustrine basins. The Mermia ichnofacies represent a few cases of subaqueous trace fossil assemblages. Carbonate microbial-caddisfly mounds constitute a distinctive biogenic structure from carbonate-dominated and agitated littoral lacustrine facies, although no ichnofacies assignment is possible to date. Some cases of intermittently exposed and submerged shallow lacustrine successions can be ascribed to the Scoyenia ichnofacies, when the subaerial exposure was not enough to allow insects to nest. Many trace fossil assemblages contain tetrapod tracks and invertebrate traces in frequently exposed and submerged shallow lacustrine facies. Some of the Mesozoic examples have been attributed to the Brontopodus ichnofacies, whereas the Cenozoic examples (containing shorebird and mammal footprints) have been regarded as representing the “shorebird ichnofacies” or Grallator ichnofacies. A case assignable to the later ichnofacies, from the Triassic Ischichuca Formation (Argentina), is discussed in more detail. In addition, a few examples of trace fossil assemblages from Quaternary carbonate eolianites are summarized. One of these examples was tentatively considered as representative of the Psilonichnus ichnofacies.