Diplocraterion
Diplocraterion | |
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Diplocraterion burrow (at left) from the Tuscarora Formation at Bald Eagle Mountain, Centre County, Pennsylvania . Specimen is ~22cm high.
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Trace fossil classification | |
Ichnogenus: | †Diplocraterion |
Diplocraterion is an
There are several ichnospecies of Diplocraterion.
Some Ichnospecies of Diplocraterion | |
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Ichnospecies | Diagnosis |
D. parallelum[6] | Parallel burrow walls and unidirectional spreite[6][2] |
D. helmerseni[7] | U-tubes expand laterally at the base[7][2] |
D. biclavatum[8] | Arms of the U-tube extend below the curved base and form blind pouches[8][2] |
D. habichi[9] | Arms of the U-tube diverge upward[9][2] |
D. polyupsilon[10] | Bidirectional spreite that constrict upward[10][2] |
D. yoyo[4] | U-tubes with both retrusive and protrusive spreiten[4] |
Ethology
The various ichnospecies of Diplocraterion provide a good example of how ethology (animal-substrate interactions and behavior) can be interpreted from trace fossils. Diplocraterion is a classic example of equilibrichnia (equilibrium traces).[4][11] These types of traces represent gradual adjustments to background sedimentation and erosion rates and reflect the efforts of the organisms to maintain a specific depth within the substrate.[11] This movement within the substrate produces the two types of spreite (protrusive and retrusive) characteristic of Diplocraterion and other ichnotaxa (e.g., Rhizocorallium).[3][11]
Most Diplocraterion show only protrusive spreit (e.g., D. parallelum, D. polyupsilon, D. biclavatum).[6][10][8] These indicate that the trace was produced under predominantly erosive conditions where the organism was constantly burrowing deeper into the substrate as sediment was eroded from the top.[4] D. yoyo has both protrusive and retrusive spreiten indicating highly variable conditions (erosional and depositional) leading to the need for the organisms to constantly adjust itself up and down within the substrate to maintain equilibrium and not become exposed or buried.[4]
See also
- Trace fossil
- Ichnology
References
- ^ Richter, Rudolf (1926). "Flachseebeobachtungen zur Paläontologie und Geologie. XII-XIV". Senckenbergiana. 8: 200–224.
- ^ JSTOR 1303293.
- ^ JSTOR 3514630.
- ^ S2CID 140161473.
- ^ "Determining stratigraphic tops". Geological digressions. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
- ^ a b c Torell, O., 1870. Petrificata Suecana Formationis Cambricae. Lunds. Univ. Arsskr. 6. Avdel. 2, No. VIII, p. 1-14.
- ^ a b Opik, A., 1929. Studien uber das estnische Unterkambrium (Estonium). I-IV. Acta Comment. Univers. Tartuensis, A. 15(2), 56 p.
- ^ a b c Miller, S.A. (1875). "Some new species of fossils from the Cincinnati group and remarks upon some described forms". Cincinnati Quarterly Journal of Science (2): 349–355.
- ^ a b Lisson, C.I., 1904. Los Tigillites del Salto del Fraile y algunes Sonneratia del Morro Solar. Cuerpo Ingen. Minas del Peru, Bol No 17, 64 p.
- ^ a b c Smith, J. (1893). "Peculiar U-shaped tubes in sandstone near Crawfurdland Castle and in Gowkha Quarry, near Killwinning". Transactions of the Geological Society of Glasgow (9): 289–292.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-521-85555-6.
Further reading
- Šimo V. & Olšavský M. (2007). Diplocraterion parallelum Torell, 1870, and other trace fossils from the Lower Triassic succession of the Drienok Nappe in the Western Carpathians, Slovakia". .