Early Miocene (Burdigalian) marine rocky shores in the French Jura Massif: a palaeoecological and palaeoenvironmental analysis

Authors

J. Martinell, J. Juilleret, and R. Domènech

Reference

Facies, vol. 67, no. 1, art. no. 2, 2021

Description

Fossil bioerosion traces at a new site of Les Bez (Jura Department) and those already known from Verrières-de-Joux (Doubs Department) in the central French Jura record an ancient Miocene cliffed shoreline cut into Lower Cretaceous limestones. Both localities are at about 900 m above the present sea level. Caulostrepsis, Gastrochaenolites and Circolites are the ichnogenera identified at Les Bez, whereas only Gastrochaenolites is present at Verrières-de-Joux. This ichnoassociation identifies the Entobia ichnofacies, which corresponds to the upper infralittoral marine environment, biologically associated with the biocenosis of photophilic algae. By means of digital analysis of high-resolution field images, the percentage of the surface affected by the erosive activity of polychaete worms, bivalves and echinoids has been calculated. This information permits a better evaluation of their biological activity, thus complementing the data on the number of specimens per surface area. The cliff preserved at Les Bez was more affected, showing Gastrochaenolites with diameters smaller than those at Verrières. The Circolites–Caulostrepsis association is well developed at Les Bez, where polychaete borings are located within echinoid bowl-shaped pits with particular patterns, suggesting an ecological relationship between involved organisms. Moreover, the distribution of the borings along this outcrop is not uniform and digital analysis at three sections (A, B and C) suggests a lower and an upper zone developed on the outcrop under slightly different environmental conditions within the upper infralittoral. The exceptional preservation of the Les Bez fossil cliff-site demands protection in order to ensure its future existence and accessibility.

Link

doi:10.1007/s10347-020-00610-z

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