1
|
Del Mouro L, Becker-Kerber B, Janasi VA, de Araújo Carvalho M, Waichel BL, Lima EF, Rossetti LMM, Cruz V, Silva MS, Famelli N, Ortega-Hernández J. Organic walled microfossils in wet peperites from the early Cretaceous Paraná-Etendeka volcanism of Brazil. Sci Rep 2023; 13:15362. [PMID: 37717103 PMCID: PMC10505181 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-42483-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2023] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 09/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Large igneous provinces (LIPs) are major magmatic events that have a significant impact on the global environment and the biosphere, for example as triggers of mass extinctions. LIPs provide an excellent sedimentological and geochemical record of short but intense periods of geological activity in the past, but their contribution towards understanding ancient life is much more restricted due to the destructive nature of their igneous origin. Here, we provide the first paleontological evidence for organic walled microfossils extracted from wet peperites from the Early Cretaceous Paraná-Etendeka intertrappean deposits of the Paraná basin in Brazil. Wet peperites are a volcaniclastic rock formed by the interaction of lava and subaqueous sediments.The Paraná-Etendeka was formed during the Valanginian (ca. 132 Ma) as a continental flood basalt in present day South America and Namibia, and released enormous amounts of carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, methane and hydrogen fluoride into the atmosphere. The organic walled microfossils recovered from the Paraná-Etendeka peperites include pollen grains, spores, acritarchs, and other remains of unidentifiable organic matter. In addition to the peperites, organic walled microfossils were also found in heterolithic sandstones and interpillow sandstones. Our findings represent the first insight into the biodiversity of the Paraná Basin during the Early Cretaceous during a period of intense magmatism, and the microfossil assemblages corroborate a regional paleoclimatic transition from arid to more humid conditions that were likely induced by the volcanic activity. We corroborate the potential of wet peperite rocks as a valuable source of paleobiological data and emphasize the importance of sampling volcaniclastic units that have been traditionally considered with lower fossiliferous potential due to their igneous origin.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lucas Del Mouro
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA.
- Institute of Geosciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
| | | | - Valdecir A Janasi
- Institute of Geosciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Breno L Waichel
- Espepetro, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil
| | - Evandro F Lima
- Federal University of Rio Grande Do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | | | - Vinicius Cruz
- CODES - Centre for Ore Deposits and Earth Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, 7001, Australia
| | | | - Natália Famelli
- Centro de Pesquisas e Desenvolvimento Leopoldo Américo Miguez de Mello - CENPES/PETROBRAS, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Javier Ortega-Hernández
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Rose M, Harris JD, Milner AR. A trace fossil made by a walking crayfish or crayfish-like arthropod from the Lower Jurassic Moenave Formation of southwestern Utah, USA. PeerJ 2021; 9:e10640. [PMID: 33569249 PMCID: PMC7845529 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.10640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2020] [Accepted: 12/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
New invertebrate trace fossils from the Lower Jurassic Moenave Formation at the St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site at Johnson Farm (SGDS) continue to expand the ichnofauna at the site. A previously unstudied arthropod locomotory trace, SGDS 1290, comprises two widely spaced, thick, gently undulating paramedial impressions flanked externally by small, tapered to elongate tracks with a staggered to alternating arrangement. The specimen is not a variant of any existing ichnospecies, but bears a striking resemblance to modern, experimentally generated crayfish walking traces, suggesting a crayfish or crayfish-like maker for the fossil. Because of its uniqueness, we place it in a new ichnospecies, Siskemia eurypyge. It is the first fossil crayfish or crayfish-like locomotion trace ever recorded.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Makae Rose
- Department of Biology, Dixie State University, St. George, UT, USA
| | - Jerald D. Harris
- Department of Physical Sciences, Dixie State University, St. George, UT, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|