File:Zoophycos trace fossil (Vinton Member, Logan Formation, Lower Mississippian; Dillon Reservoir railroad cut, Muskingum County, Ohio, USA) 1 (36534124360).jpg

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Zoophycos trace fossil in the Mississippian of Ohio, USA.

Trace fossils are any indirect evidence of ancient life. They refer to features in rocks that do not represent parts of the body of a once-living organism. Traces include footprints, tracks, trails, burrows, borings, and bitemarks. Body fossils provide information about the morphology of ancient organisms, while trace fossils provide information about the behavior of ancient life forms. Interpreting trace fossils and determination of the identity of a trace maker can be straightforward (for example, a dinosaur footprint represents walking behavior) or not. Sediments that have trace fossils are said to be bioturbated. Burrowed textures in sedimentary rocks are referred to as bioturbation. Trace fossils have scientific names assigned to them, in the same style & manner as living organisms or body fossils.

The rock sample shown above is from the Vinton Member in eastern Ohio. The Vinton is the uppermost of four stratigraphic units in the Mississippian-aged, siliciclastics-dominated Logan Formation. Ascending from the base, they are the Berne Conglomerate Member, the Byer Sandstone Member, the Allensville Member, and the Vinton Member. The Vinton is dominated by sandstones, siltstones, and shales deposited in relatively shallow marine facies.

The curving grooves are part of a trace fossil called Zoophycos, a distinctive feeding trace with an overall spiral morphology (for example, see: <a href="http://www.geopark.at/fileadmin/geopark/8._Pressematerialien/8.1._Fossil-_und_Gesteinsfotos/117Zoophycos.jpg" rel="nofollow">www.geopark.at/fileadmin/geopark/8._Pressematerialien/8.1...</a>).

At this locality, Zoophycos is relatively common and high-contrast in appearance. It occurs in quartzose sandstone, ferruginous sandstone, and (apparently) ironstone. The yellowish-brown and reddish-brownish colors seen above are iron oxide stains from weathering.

Stratigraphy: talus from the Vinton Member, upper Logan Formation, Osagean Series, upper Lower Mississippian

Locality: railroad cut 0.25 miles southeast of Every Road crossing, western side of northern Dillon Reservoir, ~between the towns of Toboso and Dillon Falls, western Muskingum County, eastern Ohio, USA (~40° 01’ 17.29” North latitude, ~82° 08’ 01.79” West longitude)
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Source Zoophycos trace fossil (Vinton Member, Logan Formation, Lower Mississippian; Dillon Reservoir railroad cut, Muskingum County, Ohio, USA) 1
Author James St. John

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This image was originally posted to Flickr by James St. John at https://flickr.com/photos/47445767@N05/36534124360 (archive). It was reviewed on 10 October 2019 by FlickreviewR 2 and was confirmed to be licensed under the terms of the cc-by-2.0.

10 October 2019

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current02:19, 10 October 2019Thumbnail for version as of 02:19, 10 October 20192,706 × 1,514 (3.27 MB)Ser Amantio di Nicolao (talk | contribs)Transferred from Flickr via #flickr2commons

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