Taphonomy of Logs Bored with Teredolites longissimus Kelly and Bromley in the Danian (Lower Paleocene) of West Greenland

Abstract

The boring Teredolites longissimus Kelly and Bromley is recorded infesting silicified logs in the Fossil Wood Member, Kangilia Formation (Lower Danian, Paleocene) of West Greenland. There are two morphologies of T. longissimus, probably representing two different episodes of invasion of the wood. The initial borings of Morphology 1 are large, deformed to an elliptical section, and confined to a direction of boring parallel to sub-parallel to the wood grain. Morphology 2 borings are less common, narrower and shorter, sinuous, markedly crosscut the grain of the wood and, where preserved intact, retain their circular cross-section. They were a later infestation than Morphology 1. Following the infestation by Morphology 1, the logs were deformed, probably by weight of overburden, and then reworked, when some of them were infested by Morphology 2 producers. Final burial was followed by brittle collapse of some Morphology 2 borings and lithification before further deformation could occur. The occurrence of T. longissimus in deeper water deposits close to a land mass with a steep slope indicates that transport in the marine realm was minimal before waterlogging.

Keywords:

• Greenland
• Danian
• wood
• bioerosion
• Teredolites
• paleoecology
• taphonomy

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Fieldwork in West Greenland by Harper and Rasmussen was supported by His Royal Highness Crown Prince Frederik's Fund, which they gratefully acknowledge. Donovan gratefully acknowledges the support of the European Commission's (FP 6) Integrated Infrastructure Initiative program SYNTHESYS (DK-TAF), which enabled him to work in Copenhagen in February–March 2006. This is a contribution to Donovan's Nationaal Natuurhistorisch Museum Leiden projects “Trace fossil studies” and “Palaeontology of the Upper Cretaceous of northwest Europe.” We thank our reviewers, Professors Charles E. Savrda (Auburn University, Alabama, USA) and Murray K. Gingras (University of Alberta, Canada), for their insightful reviews.