Endolithic bioerosion in cephalopods from the upper Carboniferous Buckhorn Asphalt Quarry Lagerstätte (Oklahoma, USA)
Seuß B, Nützel A (2017)
Publication Language: English
Publication Type: Conference contribution
Publication year: 2017
Event location: Rom
Abstract
Deposits of the Pennsylvanian (upper Carboniferous) Buckhorn Asphalt Quarry in southern Oklahoma, USA, are of mixed siliciclastic-carbonatic composition; however,crucial is the high content of hydrocarbons, that intruded the sediments during or onlyshortly after deposition. These hydrocarbons impregnated not only the deposits but more important, the fossils within. The result of this intense soaking with hydrocarbons, that altered into asphalt afterwards, was an upper Carboniferous (Pennsylvanian) Lagerstätte of outstanding quality; e.g., preservation of delicate shell ornamentation and juvenile shells, preservation of color patterns on naticopsids, as well as original shell microstructure and mineralogy in different taxa (Bandel et al. 2002; Seuss et al. 2009, 2012a, b; Ernst et al. 2016). In addition, the fauna is high diverse with approximately 150 different taxa reported so far (Seuss et al. 2009). Many shells show intense bioerosion on their surface and borings are also well visible in thin sections. In an earlier study on the Buckhorn bioeroders Wisshak et al. (2008) studied and interpreted the ichnocenosis present in Buckhorn fossils. The study was mainly based on gastropod and bivalve shells and yielded an assemblage of 18 known and one new ichnospecies. The ichnocoenosis was the most diverse record of ichnotaxa of that age and contains 13 first, including nine oldest, appearances for the Carboniferous (Wisshak et al. 2008, Table 2) and it represents the shallow euphotic zone II–III following the ichnobathymetric scheme of Glaub (1994) and Vogel et al. (1995).
Because the first study focussed on shallow marine, benthic organisms (i.e., gastropods, bivalves) a second study was performed recently to investigate shells ofnektonic taxa that are more prone to transportation after death of the animal. These are, for the study, orthoconic and coiled nautiloids and ammonoids (goniatites). The shells derive from a coquina that represents the deepest section of a cyclotheme that comprises the Buckhorn Asphalt Quarry’s deposits (compare Seuss et al. 2009, Fig. 6). In total 32 remains of orthoconic and 28 remains of the shells of coiled nautiloids and ammonoids are included in this analysis. Synthetic resin casts were prepared and preliminary results prove the presence of 25-30 ichnotaxa. Compared to studies on recent Nautilus (Seuss et al. 2015a, b, 2016) diversity is similar; however, the taxa differ distinctly. In the Buckhorn cephalopods representatives of the cyanobacteria are most diverse and most abundant, in orthoconic specimens, are the chlorophyte trace Ichnoreticulina elegans and a new ichnospecies of Scolecia (produced by cyanobacterium?) while in coiled cephalopods Flagrichnus profundus (produced by the fungus Schizochytrium sp.) and for ms of ‘very thin’ / ‘super thin’ traces dominate the association (rhodophyte / unknown heterotroph). A minimum of two ichnotaxa is reported for the first time; this number might be extended by so far unidentified traces of presumable foraminiferan origin. Despite the high diversity of traces, no ichnocoenosis was identified that would help in the identification of the relative bathymetry of the deposits and their fossil remains.
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APA:
Seuß, B., & Nützel, A. (2017). Endolithic bioerosion in cephalopods from the upper Carboniferous Buckhorn Asphalt Quarry Lagerstätte (Oklahoma, USA). In Proceedings of the 9th International Bioerosion Workshop. Rom, IT.
MLA:
Seuß, Barbara, and Alexander Nützel. "Endolithic bioerosion in cephalopods from the upper Carboniferous Buckhorn Asphalt Quarry Lagerstätte (Oklahoma, USA)." Proceedings of the 9th International Bioerosion Workshop, Rom 2017.
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