Ediacarian sponge spicule clusters from southwestern Mongolia and the origins of the Cambrian fauna

Research Article| April 01, 1997 Ediacarian sponge spicule clusters from southwestern Mongolia and the origins of the Cambrian fauna Martin Brasier; Martin Brasier 1Department of Earth Sciences, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PR, United Kingdom Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Owen Green; Owen Green 1Department of Earth Sciences, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PR, United Kingdom Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Graham Shields Graham Shields 2Geologisches Institut, Sonneggstrasse 5, ETH-Zentrum, Zurich CH-8092, Switzerland Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Martin Brasier 1Department of Earth Sciences, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PR, United Kingdom Owen Green 1Department of Earth Sciences, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PR, United Kingdom Graham Shields 2Geologisches Institut, Sonneggstrasse 5, ETH-Zentrum, Zurich CH-8092, Switzerland Publisher: Geological Society of America First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 Geological Society of America Geology (1997) 25 (4): 303–306. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1997)0252.3.CO;2 Article history First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation Martin Brasier, Owen Green, Graham Shields; Ediacarian sponge spicule clusters from southwestern Mongolia and the origins of the Cambrian fauna. Geology 1997;; 25 (4): 303–306. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1997)0252.3.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 SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Carbon and strontium isotopic data are used to show that the earliest sponge spicule clusters and associated phosphatic sediments (with Anabarites) from southwestern Mongolia are of Ediacarian age. Spicule morphologies include bundles of oxeas arranged in three-dimensional quadrules, linked together at junctions by tetracts, pentacts, hexacts, or polyactines. All are referred to the Phylum Porifera, Class Hexactinellida. These sponge spicules provide the oldest remains that can be assigned without question to an extant phylum, and also the first firm evidence for filter feeding and metazoan silica biomineralization in the fossil record. It is suggested that siliceous and phosphatic members of the "Cambrian fauna" may have had their origins in eutrophic and outer shelf facies of the Late Proterozoic. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.