Systematic vertical and lateral changes in quality and time resolution of the macrofossil record: Insights from Holocene transgressive deposits, Po coastal plain, Italy

Scarponi, Daniele; Azzarone, Michele; Kusnerik, Kristopher M.; Amorosi, Alessandro; Bohacs, Kevin M.; Drexler, Tina M.; Kowalewski, Michał

doi:10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2017.03.031

Cited by 33 publications

(46 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Previous studies established that there are predictable changes, both in the quality of preservation and the temporal resolution, in the fossil record along a depositional profile (Scarponi et al . , ). However, that contradict those of previous studies were observed in this study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This hypothesis has never been directly tested, except in a succession of transgressive/regressive deltaic systems (Scarponi et al . ).…”

Section: Confounding Variables: Measures Of Unpredictabilitymentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Parsons‐Hubbard ; Scarponi et al . ), although in recent works, shells experimentally deposited in marine sediments showed that the taphonomic range is variable within the taphofacies (e.g. Powell et al .…”

Section: Confounding Variables: Measures Of Unpredictabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…), although some types of taphonomic damage do (Tomašových & Zuschin ; Scarponi et al . ; Tomašových et al . ), suggesting that time‐averaging may not be a critical factor required to determine the TDP in a bathymetric transect.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Depth as an overarching environmental variable modulating preservation potential and temporal resolution of shelly taphofacies

Ritter

Erthal

Coimbra

2019

LET

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In the marine realm, the interpretation of taphofacies relies heavily on how oceanographic and sedimentary conditions affect the preservation state of fossils. Several taphonomic variables either covary with depth or are directly influenced by depth. Facies‐level factors rather than broad, basin‐scale parameters influence the taphonomic profile of mollusc death assemblages according to actualistic and experimental evidence. To determine the possible relation between depth and the taphonomic conditions of multiple species of bivalve remains, we used seven samples gathered over a comprehensive bathymetric gradient (from 7 to 150 m below mean sea level; topmost 10‐ to 20‐cm layer, roughly corresponding to the taphonomically active zone). We selected samples from predominantly muddy facies on the southern Brazilian shelf (SBS). The taphonomic damage profile (TDP) was measured using site samples based on a standard taphonomic analysis (categorical scoring system) of shells and fragments larger than 4 mm, to identify site damage patterns. Restricting the sedimentary grain size (samples from fine sediments) enabled the determination of the variation in damage with depth among the samples. Constrained analysis of proximities (CAP) revealed that up to 46% of the taphonomic variation observed was related to variation in depth (with approximately 28% unexplained by environmental factors). Part of the unexplained fraction was due to the effect of temporal mixing, which is predictable along large‐scale patches but is inversely linked to the TDP. Our results show that taphonomic analysis, considering large spatial scales in recent environments, can explain the variations present in shell beds that formed during distinct time periods of the evolution of a Quaternary sedimentary basin.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This hypothesis has never been directly tested, except in a succession of transgressive/regressive deltaic systems (Scarponi et al . ).…”

Section: Confounding Variables: Measures Of Unpredictabilitymentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Confounding Variables: Measures Of Unpredictabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Depth as an overarching environmental variable modulating preservation potential and temporal resolution of shelly taphofacies

Ritter

Erthal

Coimbra

2019

LET

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“…The presence of molluscs related to nearshore environments, such as N. olla, reinforce this interpretation. In the middle part (homogeneous sandy siltstone), olygotypic macrobenthic assemblages dominated by C. gibba or T. tricarinata (Bks 2, 6) point toward shallow marine settings under high sedimentary inputs (e.g., prodelta to distal delta front deposits; [13,14,15]). Within this unit, the transition to sandy bodies, usually devoid of fossils (Bk 8), is consistent with increasing sedimentation rates.…”

Section: Siliciclastic: Vigoleno Castle Sectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Coral-algal Reef Complex of Vigoleno, Piacenza, Northern Italy

Russo

Artoni

Scarponi

et al. 2017

IOP Conf. Ser.: Earth Environ. Sci.

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Abstract. During the late Miocene, reef complexes characterised by poorly diversified coral associations (mainly Porites, occasionally associated with Tarbellastraea and/or Siderastraea), became widespread in the Mediterranean area. One of these complexes crops out at Vigoleno (Castell'Arquato, Piacenza, Northern Italy). According to the regional palaeogeographic and palinspastic reconstructions, it can be considered up to now the northernmost late Miocene (Tortonian-Messinian) reef of the Mediterranean area. Despite the limited outcropping and the faulting, the multidisciplinary investigations reveal the anatomy of this reef complex along two reference sections. In addition, a marked cyclicity characterises both carbonate and siliciclastic deposits of the Vigoleno wedge-top basin. At present, the lack of reliable geochronological markers and unsuitability of the material for stable isotope analyses are not sufficient to constrain the time-span and the main controlling environmental factors of these depositional cycles.

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Millennial‐scale shifts in microtidal ecosystems during the Holocene: dynamics and drivers of change from the Po Plain coastal record (NE Italy)

Rossi

Barbieri

Vaiani

et al. 2021

J Quaternary Science

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Framed into a robust stratigraphic context, multivariate analyses on the Holocene palaeobiological record (pollen, benthic foraminifers, ostracods) of the Po coastal plain (NE Italy) allowed the investigation of microtidal ecosystems variability and driving parameters along a 35-km-long land-sea transect. Millennial-scale ecosystem shifts are documented by coeval changes in the meiofauna, reflecting variations in organic matter-water depth (shallowmarine environments) and degree of confinement-salinity (back-barrier settings). In-phase shifts of vegetation communities track unsteady water-table levels and river dynamics in freshwater palustrine areas. Five environmental-ecological stages followed one another crossing four tipping points that mark changes in relative sea level (RSL), climate and/or fluvial regime. At the culmination of Mediterranean RSL rise, after the 8200 event, remarkable growth of peatlands took place in the Po estuary, while low accumulation rates typified the shelf. At the transgressive-regressive turnaround (~7000 cal a BP), the estuary turned into a delta plain with tidally influenced interdistributary embayments. River flow regime oscillations after the Climate Optimum (post-5000 cal a BP) favoured isolation of the bays and the development of brackish wetlands surrounded by wooded peatlands. The youngest threshold (~800 cal a BP), which led to the establishment of the modern delta, reflects a major avulsion of the Po River.

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Systematic vertical and lateral changes in quality and time resolution of the macrofossil record: Insights from Holocene transgressive deposits, Po coastal plain, Italy

Abstract: 2017-08-25T16:28:25

Cited by 33 publications

References 37 publications

Depth as an overarching environmental variable modulating preservation potential and temporal resolution of shelly taphofacies

Depth as an overarching environmental variable modulating preservation potential and temporal resolution of shelly taphofacies

Coral-algal Reef Complex of Vigoleno, Piacenza, Northern Italy

Millennial‐scale shifts in microtidal ecosystems during the Holocene: dynamics and drivers of change from the Po Plain coastal record (NE Italy)

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