Trace fossil

Trace fossils are those details preserved in rocks that are indirect evidence of life. While we are most familiar with relatively spectacular fossil hard part remains such as shells and bones, trace fossils are often less dramatic, but nonetheless very important. Trace fossils include burrows, track marks, coprolites (fossilized feces), stromatolites (fossilized algal mounds), and rhizoliths or rhizocretions (fossil remains of roots).

Related Topics:
Fossil - Burrow - Coprolite - Stromatolite

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The study of trace remains is called ichnology, which is divided into paleoichnology, or the study of trace fossil, and neoichnology, the study of modern trace remains. Another name for trace fossils is ichnofossils, taken from the Greek word ichnos, meaning "trace".

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The science of ichnology is quite challenging, as many trace remains cannot be positively assigned to a specific organism. Further, trace remains such as burrows can make the work for paleontologists and geologists more difficult as they rework sediments, causing older strata to be mixed with a younger ones. This can cause some confusion in interpretation unless viewed in context.

Related Topics:
Science - Paleontologists - Geologists - Sediment - Strata

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Trace fossils are generally divided into five groups (by Adolf Seilacher, Yale University):

Related Topics:
Adolf Seilacher - Yale University

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• Domichnia are dwelling structures,
• Fodichnia are feeding traces left by animals which eat their way through sediment,
• Pascichnia are grazing traces made on the surface of the sediment,
• Cubichnia are resting traces (for example where an animal may have stopped and rested on the sea floor),
• Repichnia are surface traces of creeping and crawling.
 
Trace fossil: Confusion with other types of fossils ►