Proceedings of the Geologists' Association, Feb 10, 2015
The Rhaetic Transgression, 210 Myr ago, which marked the end of continental conditions in the
Eu... more The Rhaetic Transgression, 210 Myr ago, which marked the end of continental conditions in the
European Triassic, and the arrival of marine deposition, may have been heralded by the arrival of
burrowing shrimps. Here we document an unusual taphonomic situation, in which classic basal Rhaetic
bone bed is preserved inside a Thalassinoides burrow system at the base of the Westbury Mudstone
Formation, in the highest part of the Blue Anchor Formation, at Charton Bay, Devon, UK. The fauna
comprises four species of sharks and five species of bony fishes. The sharks, Rhomphaiodon (‘Hybodus’),
Duffinselache, Lissodus, and Pseudocetorhinus are small, and include predatory and crushing/
opportunistic feeders. The top predator was the large Severnichthys, typical of Rhaetian ichthyofaunas,
and Gyrolepis was a smaller predator. Late Triassic bony fishes generally included many shell-crushers,
and the Charton Bay assemblage is no exception, with teeth of Sargodon, ‘Lepidotes’, and Dapedium, the
last being a rare record for the British Rhaetic. This kind of burrowed and filled contact occurs elsewhere
at the base of the Westbury Mudstone Formation, and so may be a typical marker of the early phases of
the Rhaetic Transgression.
Proceedings of the Geologists' Association, Feb 10, 2015
The Rhaetic Transgression, 210 Myr ago, which marked the end of continental conditions in the
Eu... more The Rhaetic Transgression, 210 Myr ago, which marked the end of continental conditions in the
European Triassic, and the arrival of marine deposition, may have been heralded by the arrival of
burrowing shrimps. Here we document an unusual taphonomic situation, in which classic basal Rhaetic
bone bed is preserved inside a Thalassinoides burrow system at the base of the Westbury Mudstone
Formation, in the highest part of the Blue Anchor Formation, at Charton Bay, Devon, UK. The fauna
comprises four species of sharks and five species of bony fishes. The sharks, Rhomphaiodon (‘Hybodus’),
Duffinselache, Lissodus, and Pseudocetorhinus are small, and include predatory and crushing/
opportunistic feeders. The top predator was the large Severnichthys, typical of Rhaetian ichthyofaunas,
and Gyrolepis was a smaller predator. Late Triassic bony fishes generally included many shell-crushers,
and the Charton Bay assemblage is no exception, with teeth of Sargodon, ‘Lepidotes’, and Dapedium, the
last being a rare record for the British Rhaetic. This kind of burrowed and filled contact occurs elsewhere
at the base of the Westbury Mudstone Formation, and so may be a typical marker of the early phases of
the Rhaetic Transgression.
Uploads
Papers by Dana Korneisel
European Triassic, and the arrival of marine deposition, may have been heralded by the arrival of
burrowing shrimps. Here we document an unusual taphonomic situation, in which classic basal Rhaetic
bone bed is preserved inside a Thalassinoides burrow system at the base of the Westbury Mudstone
Formation, in the highest part of the Blue Anchor Formation, at Charton Bay, Devon, UK. The fauna
comprises four species of sharks and five species of bony fishes. The sharks, Rhomphaiodon (‘Hybodus’),
Duffinselache, Lissodus, and Pseudocetorhinus are small, and include predatory and crushing/
opportunistic feeders. The top predator was the large Severnichthys, typical of Rhaetian ichthyofaunas,
and Gyrolepis was a smaller predator. Late Triassic bony fishes generally included many shell-crushers,
and the Charton Bay assemblage is no exception, with teeth of Sargodon, ‘Lepidotes’, and Dapedium, the
last being a rare record for the British Rhaetic. This kind of burrowed and filled contact occurs elsewhere
at the base of the Westbury Mudstone Formation, and so may be a typical marker of the early phases of
the Rhaetic Transgression.
European Triassic, and the arrival of marine deposition, may have been heralded by the arrival of
burrowing shrimps. Here we document an unusual taphonomic situation, in which classic basal Rhaetic
bone bed is preserved inside a Thalassinoides burrow system at the base of the Westbury Mudstone
Formation, in the highest part of the Blue Anchor Formation, at Charton Bay, Devon, UK. The fauna
comprises four species of sharks and five species of bony fishes. The sharks, Rhomphaiodon (‘Hybodus’),
Duffinselache, Lissodus, and Pseudocetorhinus are small, and include predatory and crushing/
opportunistic feeders. The top predator was the large Severnichthys, typical of Rhaetian ichthyofaunas,
and Gyrolepis was a smaller predator. Late Triassic bony fishes generally included many shell-crushers,
and the Charton Bay assemblage is no exception, with teeth of Sargodon, ‘Lepidotes’, and Dapedium, the
last being a rare record for the British Rhaetic. This kind of burrowed and filled contact occurs elsewhere
at the base of the Westbury Mudstone Formation, and so may be a typical marker of the early phases of
the Rhaetic Transgression.