Bowl-shaped structures in a Pleistocene clastic carbonate wedge on the Island of Rhodes, Greece

Abstract

Bowl-shaped structures are for the first time reported from the Greek Island of Rhodes. They occur in Pleistocene deposits of the Cape Arkhangelos Formation in the Rhodes Synthem. The regularity of their three-dimensional appearance is the argument for a biological origin. This gives the reason to assign the structures to Piscichnus waitemata for which we issue a formal diagnosis. They were formed on a clastic carbonate wedge that built into a coastal, steep-sided basin. Associate trace fossils are Thalassinoides suevicus and Bichordites monastiriensis.

Keywords:

• Bioturbation
• ethology
• foraging behaviour
• depositional conditions

Acknowledgments

This article has emerged from the M.Sc. thesis by JKN at the University of Copenhagen, with the late Dr. Richard Granville Bromley as advisor. Dr. Bromley gave eminent inspiration to all three authors. He encouraged students by teaching the importance of ichnology in the field of palaeontology, which led to many friendly discussions and exciting fieldwork many places, especially Rhodes. Catalogue information about type material was kindly provided by Dr. Neville Hudson (University of Auckland). The Director of the Institute of Geology and Mineral Exploration (Athens, Greece) is thanked for fieldwork permission. Dr. Alfred Uchman and one anonymous reviewer gave constructive comments.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

The fieldwork was financially supported by the University of Copenhagen and the Danish charter airline Conair.