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The trackway Protichnites from the Cambrian, Blackberry Hill, central Wisconsin. A trace fossil, also known as an ichnofossil (/ ˈ ɪ k n oʊ f ɒ s ɪ l /; from Greek: ἴχνος ikhnos "trace, track"), is a fossil record of biological activity by lifeforms but not the preserved remains of the organism itself. [1]
Skolithos from Kraków am See, Germany. Skolithos in a bed of the Dakota Formation, New Mexico, US. Skolithos (formerly spelled Scolithus or Skolithus [1]) is a common trace fossil ichnogenus that is, or was originally, an approximately vertical cylindrical burrow with a distinct lining.
Most researchers classify trace fossils only as far as the ichnogenus rank, based upon trace fossils that resemble each other in morphology but have subtle differences. Some authors have constructed detailed hierarchies up to ichnosuperclass, recognizing such fine detail as to identify ichnosuperorder and ichnoinfraclass, but such attempts are ...
Diagram showing the differences between meniscate and spreiten burrows. Modified from Chamberlain (1978). [1] Spreite (German: [ˈʃpʁaɪ̯tə] ⓘ), meaning leaf-blade in German (or spreiten (pronounced [ˈʃpʁaɪ̯tn̩] ⓘ), the plural form in German) is a stacked, curved, layered structure that is characteristic of certain trace fossils ...
In trace fossil nomenclature a Latin binomial name is used, just as in animal and plant taxonomy, with a genus and specific epithet. However, the binomial names are not linked to an organism, but rather just a trace fossil. This is due to the rarity of association between a trace fossil and a specific organism or group of organisms.
A fossil track or ichnite (Greek "ιχνιον" (ichnion) – a track, trace or footstep) is a fossilized footprint. This is a type of trace fossil. A fossil trackway is a sequence of fossil tracks left by a single organism. Over the years, many ichnites have been found, around the world, giving important clues about the behaviour (and foot ...
First appearing during the Cambrian, Chondrites is still produced today. It is one of the most common ichnotaxa throughout the fossil record and is widely distributed in all types of marine sedimentary rocks, including sandstone, shale, limestone and marl that formed in environments ranging from subtidal shelves to the abyssal zone.
Like other fossils, coprolites have had much of their original composition replaced by mineral deposits such as silicates and calcium carbonates. Paleofeces, on the other hand, retain much of their original organic composition and can be reconstituted to determine their original chemical properties, though in practice the term coprolite is also ...