Fossils in Lviv (Ukraine) – an overview

On the territory of Lviv there exists a unique natural complex with interesting paleontological objects – fossils – which are witnesses of the complex and long history of the formation of the Earth’s crust. Fossils in Lviv are found in outcrops of deposits of the Cretaceous, Neogene, and Quaternary systems; in natural building stone of walls, sidewalks, and paving stones; in the expositions of natural history museums. Depending on the location, three groups of fossils were first distinguished: «traditional», urban, or museum. «Traditional» fossils are a very informative component of sedimentary rocks and are the most important for solving applied geological problems. They are described from 16 locations in the city at different stratigraphic levels of the Cretaceous-Neogene section of Lviv, represented by biofossils (fossilized colonies of lithothamnium algae, skeletons, prints, and nuclei of mollusks, brachiopods, sea urchins, etc.) and ichnofossils (burrows of burrowing animals). The remains of marine inhabitants – algae and mollusks, and occasionally brachiopods – predominate. The natural stone from which Lviv is built contains remains of fossil organisms – urban fossils, which have been discovered and studied for the first time in Lviv. In general, numerous locations of urban fossils in the wall stone, sidewalks , and paving stones of Lviv have been investigated. Among the urban fossils, the following have been identified: foraminifera, lower plants (fossilized colonies of lithothamnium algae), xylolites, invertebrates – bivalves, brachiopods, echinoderms; among ichnofossils – traces of crawling. In the natural wall stone of Lviv, the remains of marine algae and bivalves prevail; the remains of echinoderms are rare, and they occur in the sidewalk stone and paving stones. The Paleontological Museum of the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv serves as a reliable guardian of the geoheritage of Lviv and a source of unique paleontological information in the form of museum fossils. Its exposition contains fossils found in 15 locations in Lviv. A brief description of these fossils is provided. Fossils discovered in Lviv are important for understanding the geological record of the Lviv territory, serve as an important link for restoring the history of the Earth, have scientific, cognitive, cultural, and aesthetic value, play a significant role in the educational process of educational institutions of Ukraine, and can become interesting geotourism sites.