Introduction of continental ichnofacies from Neogene alluvial deposits of Birjand city

Author

Assist. Prof., Dept., of Geology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Birjand, Birjand, Iran

Abstract

In recent years, continental ichnology has gained great importance in the stratigraphy, basin analysis and paleogeography studies and widely used in understanding environmental parameters and paleoecological conditions. The study area in the Birjand city is a part of the sedimentary-structural zone of eastern Iran and includes alluvial sedimentary deposits with Neogene age. Based on the previous studies, the above-mentioned alluvial deposits include conglomerate, sandstone and mudstone lithofacies which were deposited in the fluvial system based on their textural features and sedimentary structures. Lithofacies, facies associations and the abundance of sediment gravity flow and channel-fill deposits, in the studied alluvial deposits indicate the existence of a braided fluvial system close to the source during the Neogene time. Field observations of the sand and mud deposits of the studied alluvial terraces indicate the presence of continental trace fossils in these sediments. Based on the observed burrows of these sediments, two Coprinisphaera and Skolithos ichnofacies and six distinct ichnogenus can be distinguished in these continental deposits, which confirm the deposition of these sediments in the adjacent parts of active channel and floodplain of fluvial system.   

Keywords

References

آقانباتی، ع (1383) زمین­شناسی ایران، انتشارات سازمان زمین­شناسی و اکتشافات معدنی، 586 ص.
اشتوکلین، ی.، افتخارنژاد، ج.، هوشمندزاده، ع (1352) بررسی مقدماتی زمین­شناسی در لوت مرکزی، شرق ایران. گزارش شماره 22 سازمان زمین­شناسی کشور، 86 ص.
افتخارنژاد، ج (1986) نقشه زمین­شناسی 1:100000 چهارگوش بیرجند. سازمان زمین­شناسی و اکتشافات معدنی کشور.
بختیاری، س (1387) اتواطلس ایران به همراه نمودارهای فواصل راه­های مهم ایران. موسسه جغرافیایی و کارتوگرافی گیتاشناسی، تهران، 64 ص.
مطیعی، ه (1373) زمین­شناسی ایران: چینه­شناسی زاگرس. سازمان زمین­شناسی و اکتشافات معدنی کشور، تهران، 583 ص.
 
Bagheri, M., Feiznia, S., Arian, M., Shabanian, R., Mahari, R (2013) Continental Trace Fossils in the Semnan Area (Northern Iran). Open Journal of Geology, 3: 54-61.
Bayet-Goll, A., Neto de Carvalho, C., Mahmudy-Gharaei, M. H., Nadaf, R (2015) Ichnology and sedimentology of a shallow marine Upper Cretaceous depositional system (Neyzar Formation, Kopet-Dagh, Iran): palaeoceanographic influence on ichnodiversity. Cretaceous Reaserch, 56: 628–646.
Bayet-Goll, A., Myrow, P. M., Aceñolaza, G. F., Moussavi-Harami, R. And Mahboubi, A (2016) Depositional Controls on the Ichnology of Ordovician Wave-dominated Marine Facies: New Evidence from the Shirgesht Formation, Central Iran. Acta Geologica Sinica - English Edition, 90: 1572-1597.
Bayet-Goll, A., Nazarian Samani, P., De Carvalho, C. N., Monaco, P., Khodaie, N., Morad Pour, M., Kazemeini, H., Zareiyan, M.H (2017) Sequence stratigraphy and ichnology of Early Cretaceous reservoirs, Gadvan Formation in southwestern Iran. Marine and Petroleum Geology, 81: 294–319.
Bromley, R. G., Buatois, L. A., Genise, J. F., Labandeira, C. C., Mángano, M. G., Melchor, R. N., Schlirf, M., Uchman, A (2007) Comments on the paper “Reconnaissance of Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation ichnofossils, Rocky Mountain Region, USA: Paleoenvironmental, stratigraphic, and paleoclimatic significance of terrestrial and freshwater ichnocoenoses” by Stephen T. Hasiotis. Journal of Sedimentary Geology, 200: 141–150.
Bromley, R. G (1996) Trace fossils: Biology, taphonomy, and applications. Chapman and Hall, London.
Buatois, L. A., Mángano, M. G (2011) Ichnology. Organism-substrate interactions in space and time. Cambridge University Press, New York.
Donovan, S. K (1994) Insects and other arthropods as trace makers in non-marine environments and palaeoenvironments. in Donovan, S. K., ed., The Palaeobiology of Trace Fossils: Wiley and Sons, New York, p. 200-220.
Droser, M. L., and Bottjer, D. J (1986) A semiquantitative field classification of ichnofabric. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology, 56: 558–559.
Ekdale, A. A., Bromley, R. G., Pemberton, S. G (1984) Ichnology, trace fossils in sedimentology and stratigraphy. Society of Economic Paleontologists and Mineralogists, Short Course Notes, 15.
Genise, J. F., Mángano, M. G., Buatois LA., Laza, J. H., Verde, M (2000) Insect trace fossil associations in paleosols: The Coprinisphaera ichnofacies. Palaios, 15: 49–64.
Genise, J. F., Alonso-Zarza, A. M., Verde M, Melendez, A (2013) Insect trace fossils in aeolian deposits and calcretes from the Canary Islands: their ichnotaxonomy, producers, and palaeoenvironmental signifi cance. Palaeogeogrraphy Palaeoclimatology and Palaeoecology, 377: 110–124.
Genise, J. F (2017) Ichnoentomology: Insect Traces in Soils and Paleosols (Topics in Geobiology, 37). Springer International Publishing Switzerland, 707p.
Gerard, J (2016) Integration of ichnofabrics in depositional environment interpretation and sequence analysis. Ichnia 2016: abstract book edited by Andrea Baucon, Carlos Neto de Carvalho, Joana Rodrigues, p. 150.
Gregory, R., Ohlson, D., Arvai, J (2006) Deconstructing Ada- ptive Management: Criteria for Applications to Environ- mental Management. Ecological Applications, 16: 2411-2425.
Hall, J (1847) Paleontology of New York. Volume I. C. van Benthuysen, Albany, 338 p.
Hasiotis, S. T (1997) Redefining Continental Ichnology and the              Scoyenia Ichnofacies [Ph. D. Dissertation]. University of Colorado: Boulder, Colorado, 182p.
Hasiotis, S. T (2002) Continental trace fossils. Tulsa: Society for Sedimentary Geology.
Hasiotis, S. T., and Bown, T. M (1992) Invertebrate trace fossils: The backbone of continental ichnology, in Maples, C. G., and West, R. R., eds., Trace Fossils: The Paleontological Society, Short Courses in Paleontology, 5: 64-104.
Hembree, D (2018) The role of continental trace fossils in Cenozoic paleoenvironmental and paleoecological reconstructions. In: D. A. Croft et al. (eds.), Methods in Paleoecology: Reconstructing Cenozoic Terrestrial Environments and Ecological Communities, Vertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology.
Hodges, E. R. S. (Ed.) (2003) The Guild Handbook of Scientific Illustration. John Wiley and Sons, Hoboken, 656 p.
Knaust, D., Bromley, R. G (eds) (2012) Trace Fossils as Indicators of Sedimentary Environments. Developments in Sedimentology, 64: 924p.
Kostic, B., Aigner, T (2007) Sedimentary architecture and D ground-penetrating radar analysis of gravelly meandering river deposits (Neckar Valley, SW Germany). Sedimentology, 54: 789-808.
MacEachern, J. A., Bann, K. L., Pemberton, S. G., Gingras, M (2007) The ichnofacies paradigm: high-resolution paleoenvironmental interpretation of the rock record, in: J. A. MacEachern, K. L. Bann, M.K. Gingras, S. G. Pemberton (Eds.), SEPM Short Course Notes, 52: 27-64.
Melchor, R. N., Bedatou, E., de Valais, S., Genise, J. F (2006) Lithofacies distribution of invertebrate and vertebrate trace-fossil assemblages in an Early Mesozoic ephemeral fluvio-lacustrine system from Argentina: Implications for the Scoyenia ichnofacies. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 239: 253–285.
Miall, A. D (2000) Principle of Sedimentary Basin Analysis. Springer-Verlag, New York, 668p.
Miall, A. D (2006) The Geology of Fluvial Deposits: Sedimentary Facies, Basin Analysis. Petroleum Geology (  printing), Springer-Verlag, New York, 582p.
Mikúlaš, R., and Genise, J. F (2003) Traces within traces: holes, pits and galleries in walls and filling of insect trace fossils in paleosols. Geolology Acta, 1: 339–348.
Nasiri, Y., Bayet-Goll, A., Mahboubi, A., Moussavi-Harami, R., Monaco, P (2020) Paleoenvironmental control on trace fossils across a Mississippian carbonate ramp succession, Mobarak Formation, east of Central and Eastern Alborz, Iran. Journal of African Earth Sciences, 165: 103-800.
Nehyba, S., Roetzel, R (2010) Fluvial deposits of the St. Marein-Freischling Formation insights into initial depositional processes on the distal external margin of the Alpine-Carpathian Foredeep in Lower Austria. Austrian Journal of Earth Sciences, 103: 50-80.
Roselli, F. L (1987) Paleoicnología. Nidos de insectos fósiles de la cubertura Mesozoica del Uruguay. Publ Mus Munic Nueva Palmira, 1: 1–56.
Sánchez, M. V., and Genise, J. F (2009) Cleptoparasitism and detritivory in dung beetle fossil brood balls from Patagonia, Argentina. Palaeontology, 52: 837–848.
Savazzi, E (2011) Digital Photography for Science. Close-up Photography, Macrophotography and Photomacrophotography. Enrico Savazzi, 698 p.
Seilacher, A (1967) Fossil behavior. Sci Am, 217: 72–80.
Seilacher, A (2007) Trace fossil analysis. Springer, Berlin.
Sharafi, M., Rodríguez-Tovar, F. J., Janočko, J. Bayet-Goll, A., Mohamadi, M (2021a) Environmental significance of trace fossil assemblages in a tide‒wave-dominated shallow-marine carbonate system (Lower Cretaceous), northern Neo-Tethys margin, Kopet-Dagh Basin, Iran. International Journal of Earth Sciences (Geol Rundsch), 111: 103–126.
Sharafi, M., Rodríguez-Tovar, F. J., Bayet-Goll, A., Richianio, S (2021b) Ichnofabric analysis of shallow to deep marine Carboniferous sediments, from the southern Paleotethys margin, Alborz Basin (northern Iran): Approaching autogenic and allogenic environmental controls. Historical Biology. DOI: 10.1080/08912963.2021.1996572.
Smith, R. M. H., Mason, T. R., Ward, J. D (1993) Flash-flood sediments and ichnofacies of the Late Pleistocene Homeb Silts, Kuiseb River, Namibia. Journal of Sedimentary Geology, 85: 579–599.
Stow, D. A. V (2005) Sedimentary Rocks in the Field: A Colour Guide. Manson Publishing, London.
Tschinkel, W. R (2003) Subterranean ant nests: trace fossils past and future? Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology and Palaeoecology, 192: 321–333.

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 02 June 2022
  • Revise Date: 15 August 2022
  • Accept Date: 18 September 2022

Share

How to cite

Statistics