Trace Fossils Warm-Up

Your Name

Essay Question

The concept of ichnofacies is important in reconstruction of ancient depositional environments. Describe the ichnofacies in the nearshore sandy bottom and the adjacent offshore sublittoral setting. Relate the geometry of the trace fossils in each of these two depositional settings to the energy of currents found in each.

Multiple Choice Questions

Which of the following trace fossils is (are) most likely to be found in high energy depositional settings?

skolithus

cruziana

zoophycus

diplocraterion

thalassinoides

chondrites

A highly bioturbated sedimentary deposit may indicate

slow even deposition

periods of rapid deposition of thin intervals of sediment, interrupted by long intervals of non-deposition

rapid deposition of a thick layer of sediment

an environment where continuous traction transport of sediment was taking place

middle to upper portions of the lower flow regime