Taphonomic trade-offs in tropical marine death assemblages: Differential time averaging, shell loss, and probable bias in siliciclastic vs. carbonate facies

Research Article| September 01, 2005 Taphonomic trade-offs in tropical marine death assemblages: Differential time averaging, shell loss, and probable bias in siliciclastic vs. carbonate facies Susan M. Kidwell; Susan M. Kidwell 1Department of Geophysical Sciences, University of Chicago, 5734 South Ellis Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Mairi M.R. Best; Mairi M.R. Best 2Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, McGill University, 3450 University Street, Montréal, Québec H3A 2A7, Canada Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Darrell S. Kaufman Darrell S. Kaufman 3Department of Geology, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona 86011-4099, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Susan M. Kidwell 1Department of Geophysical Sciences, University of Chicago, 5734 South Ellis Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA Mairi M.R. Best 2Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, McGill University, 3450 University Street, Montréal, Québec H3A 2A7, Canada Darrell S. Kaufman 3Department of Geology, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona 86011-4099, USA Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 17 Feb 2005 Revision Received: 19 May 2005 Accepted: 20 May 2005 First Online: 02 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 Geological Society of America Geology (2005) 33 (9): 729–732. https://doi.org/10.1130/G21607.1 Article history Received: 17 Feb 2005 Revision Received: 19 May 2005 Accepted: 20 May 2005 First Online: 02 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation Susan M. Kidwell, Mairi M.R. Best, Darrell S. Kaufman; Taphonomic trade-offs in tropical marine death assemblages: Differential time averaging, shell loss, and probable bias in siliciclastic vs. carbonate facies. Geology 2005;; 33 (9): 729–732. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G21607.1 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 SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Radiocarbon-calibrated amino-acid racemization ages of individually dated bivalve mollusk shells from Caribbean reef, nonreefal carbonate, and siliciclastic sediments in Panama indicate that siliciclastic sands and muds contain significantly older shells (median 375 yr, range up to ∼5400 yr) than nearby carbonate seafloors (median 72 yr, range up to ∼2900 yr; maximum shell ages differ significantly at p < 0.02 using extreme-value statistics). The implied difference in shell loss rates is contrary to physicochemical expectations but is consistent with observed differences in shell condition (greater bioerosion and dissolution in carbonates). Higher rates of shell loss in carbonate sediments should lead to greater compositional bias in surviving skeletal material, resulting in taphonomic trade-offs: less time averaging but probably higher taxonomic bias in pure carbonate sediments, and lower bias but greater time averaging in siliciclastic sediments from humid-weathered accretionary arc terrains, which are a widespread setting of tropical sedimentation. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.