Preservation of erniettomorph fossils in clay-rich siliciclastic deposits from the Ediacaran Wood Canyon Formation, Nevada.

ABSTRACT: Three-dimensionally preserved Ediacaran fossils occur globally within sandstone beds. Sandy siliciclastic deposits of the Ediacaran Wood Canyon Formation (WCF) in the Montgomery Mountains, Nevada, contain two fossil morphologies with similar shapes and sizes: one exhibits mm-scale ridges and a distinct lower boundary and the other is devoid of these diagnostic features. We interpret these as taphomorphs of erniettomorphs, soft-bodied organisms with uncertain taxonomic affinities. We explore the cast-and-mould preservation of both taphomorphs by petrography, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray fluorescence microprobe and X-ray diffraction. All fossils and the surrounding sedimentary matrix contain quartz grains, iron-rich chlorite and muscovite. The ridged fossils contain about 70% larger quartz grai

SUBMITTER: Hall JG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7333903 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature