Taphonomic Features of a Lower Permian Beached Cephalopod Assemblage from Central Texas

Other| October 01, 2003 Taphonomic Features of a Lower Permian Beached Cephalopod Assemblage from Central Texas HARUYOSHI MAEDA; HARUYOSHI MAEDA 1Department of Geology and Mineralogy, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan, maeda@kueps.kyoto-u.ac.jp Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar ROYAL H. MAPES; ROYAL H. MAPES 2Department of Geological Sciences, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar GENE MAPES GENE MAPES 3Department of Environmental and Plant Biology, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar PALAIOS (2003) 18 (4-5): 421–434. https://doi.org/10.1669/0883-1351(2003)018<0421:TFOALP>2.0.CO;2 Article history accepted: 17 Mar 2003 first online: 03 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation HARUYOSHI MAEDA, ROYAL H. MAPES, GENE MAPES; Taphonomic Features of a Lower Permian Beached Cephalopod Assemblage from Central Texas. PALAIOS 2003;; 18 (4-5): 421–434. doi: https://doi.org/10.1669/0883-1351(2003)018<0421:TFOALP>2.0.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyPALAIOS Search Advanced Search Abstract A taphonomic investigation of a fossil assemblage near Coleman, Texas, U.S.A., has revealed a rarely seen part of the cephalopod taphonomic pathway. The cephalopods occur in a brown shale with a low-diversity, gastropod-dominated fauna that is mixed together with a conifer-seed fern-dominated terrestrial flora. All of the cephalopod shells (n=2000+) are damaged. The brown shale is interpreted as representing a brackish-water or quiet, muddy beach environment, based in part on the delicate three-dimensional preservation of the terrestrial plant debris and the absence of stenohaline benthic marine fauna.Most upper Paleozoic cephalopods (especially ammonoids) are thought to have lived in offshore (middle to outer shelf) environments. The environmental interpretation and the massive damage observed on the cephalopod shells support the interpretation that this cephalopod fauna has been transported from one or more distant offshore biotopes. These cephalopods had shells with positively buoyant conchs that floated after death onto the mud beach, where they were trapped in a Konzentrat fossil-Lagerstätte with the indigenous gastropod fauna and a well-preserved terrestrial flora.The significance of this taphonomic analysis is the documentation of a transported cephalopod fauna from an offshore biotope to a paleoshoreline environment. By studying the Coleman cephalopods, a specific criterion for assessing the type and degree of shell damage for beached fossil assemblages has been developed; e.g., predominance of fragmentary shells (Type D). The criterion can be used to evaluate the taphonomy of other cephalopod faunas around the world. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.