Macroborings (Gastrochaenolites) in Lower Ordovician Hardgrounds of Utah: Sedimentologic, Paleoecologic, and Evolutionary Implications

Abstract

Other| December 01, 2004 Macroborings (Gastrochaenolites) in Lower Ordovician Hardgrounds of Utah: Sedimentologic, Paleoecologic, and Evolutionary Implications JACOB S. BENNER; JACOB S. BENNER 1Department of Geology, Tufts University, Lane Hall, Medford, MA 02155, jacob.benner@tufts.edu Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar A.A. EKDALE; A.A. EKDALE 2Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Utah, 135 South 1460 East, Room WBB 719, Salt Lake City, UT 84112 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar JORDI M. DE GIBERT JORDI M. DE GIBERT 3Departament d'Estratigraphia, Paleontologia i Geociències Marines, Universitat de Barcelona, Martí Franquès s/n, 08028 Barcelona, Spain Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information JACOB S. BENNER 1Department of Geology, Tufts University, Lane Hall, Medford, MA 02155, jacob.benner@tufts.edu A.A. EKDALE 2Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Utah, 135 South 1460 East, Room WBB 719, Salt Lake City, UT 84112 JORDI M. DE GIBERT 3Departament d'Estratigraphia, Paleontologia i Geociències Marines, Universitat de Barcelona, Martí Franquès s/n, 08028 Barcelona, Spain Publisher: SEPM Society for Sedimentary Geology Accepted: 27 Apr 2004 First Online: 03 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1938-5323 Print ISSN: 0883-1351 Society for Sedimentary Geology PALAIOS (2004) 19 (6): 543–550. https://doi.org/10.1669/0883-1351(2004)019<0543:MGILOH>2.0.CO;2 Article history Accepted: 27 Apr 2004 First Online: 03 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation JACOB S. BENNER, A.A. EKDALE, JORDI M. DE GIBERT; Macroborings (Gastrochaenolites) in Lower Ordovician Hardgrounds of Utah: Sedimentologic, Paleoecologic, and Evolutionary Implications. PALAIOS 2004;; 19 (6): 543–550. doi: https://doi.org/10.1669/0883-1351(2004)019<0543:MGILOH>2.0.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyPALAIOS Search Advanced Search Abstract New evidence of fossil macroborings in the Lower Ordovician (Ibexian) of western Utah demonstrates that the macroboring behavioral strategy was firmly established in the earliest stages of the great Ordovician diversification of the marine biosphere. In Utah, borings were excavated in hardgrounds that had developed on sponge-algal mounds and flat-pebble conglomerates in the Fillmore Formation (Ibexian). The most complete specimens possess a neck up to 1 cm in length that opens into a teardrop-shaped chamber with a maximum diameter of 1 cm. The chamber terminates at a depth of 3–4 cm below the hardground surface. These borings belong to the ichnogenus Gastrochaenolites. The organisms responsible for creating the borings are unknown. Sedimentologically, the effect of boring on hardgrounds was to break them into pebble- and cobble-sized clasts. The endolithic lifestyle represented by the borings may have evolved in response to ecologic pressures such as predation or competition for food resources. The macroborings from the Fillmore Formation represent an innovative strategy that may have resulted in the later development of new body plans and the early establishment of endolithic macroinvertebrates. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.