New Ediacaran biota from the oldest Nama Group, Namibia (Tsaus Mountains), and re-definition of the Nama Assemblage
Abstract The Nama Group, Namibia (≥550.5 to <538 million years ago, Ma), preserves one of the most diverse metazoan fossil records of the terminal Ediacaran Period. We report numerous features that may be biological in origin from the shallow marine, siliciclastic, lowermost Mara Member (older th...
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Cambridge University Press (CUP)
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crcambridgeupr:10.1017/s0016756823000638 2024-06-23T07:57:25+00:00 New Ediacaran biota from the oldest Nama Group, Namibia (Tsaus Mountains), and re-definition of the Nama Assemblage Wood, Rachel Bowyer, Fred. T. Alexander, Ruaridh Yilales, Mariana Uahengo, Collen-Issia Kaputuaza, Kavevaza Ndeunyema, Junias Curtis, Andrew 2023 http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0016756823000638 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0016756823000638 en eng Cambridge University Press (CUP) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Geological Magazine volume 160, issue 9, page 1673-1686 ISSN 0016-7568 1469-5081 journal-article 2023 crcambridgeupr https://doi.org/10.1017/s0016756823000638 2024-06-12T04:05:07Z Abstract The Nama Group, Namibia (≥550.5 to <538 million years ago, Ma), preserves one of the most diverse metazoan fossil records of the terminal Ediacaran Period. We report numerous features that may be biological in origin from the shallow marine, siliciclastic, lowermost Mara Member (older than ca. 550.5 Ma) from the Tsaus Mountains. These include forms that potentially represent body fossils, Beltanelliformis and an indeterminate juvenile uniterminal rangeomorph or arboreomorph frond, plug trace fossils, Bergaueria , as well as sedimentary surface textures, which are possibly microbially induced. These are the oldest documented macrofossils in the Nama Group. They represent taxa that persist from the Avalon or White Sea assemblages prior to the later appearance of new biota, including calcified metazoans, calcified and soft-bodied tubular taxa including all cloudinids, as well as more complex trace fossils. Using a new age model that allows more accurate stratigraphic placement of major Ediacaran macrofossil morphogroups and taxa, we propose a re-definition of the Nama Assemblage following the practice for Phanerozoic evolutionary faunas to include only new morphogroups of soft-bodied tubular, calcified taxa and complex trace fossils, defined by first appearance of Cloudina , which postdates deposition of the Kanies and lower Mara members and first appears ca. 550 Ma and persists until at least 539 Ma. Finally, the Tsaus Mountain environment is pristine, unspoilt by geologists and naturalists. Following World Heritage Convention, we suggest a pledge of non-destructive excavation that all future scientists should be able to make in publications of work that involve research in this area. Article in Journal/Newspaper White Sea Cambridge University Press Mara ENVELOPE(132.133,132.133,62.267,62.267) White Sea Geological Magazine 160 9 1673 1686 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Cambridge University Press |
op_collection_id |
crcambridgeupr |
language |
English |
description |
Abstract The Nama Group, Namibia (≥550.5 to <538 million years ago, Ma), preserves one of the most diverse metazoan fossil records of the terminal Ediacaran Period. We report numerous features that may be biological in origin from the shallow marine, siliciclastic, lowermost Mara Member (older than ca. 550.5 Ma) from the Tsaus Mountains. These include forms that potentially represent body fossils, Beltanelliformis and an indeterminate juvenile uniterminal rangeomorph or arboreomorph frond, plug trace fossils, Bergaueria , as well as sedimentary surface textures, which are possibly microbially induced. These are the oldest documented macrofossils in the Nama Group. They represent taxa that persist from the Avalon or White Sea assemblages prior to the later appearance of new biota, including calcified metazoans, calcified and soft-bodied tubular taxa including all cloudinids, as well as more complex trace fossils. Using a new age model that allows more accurate stratigraphic placement of major Ediacaran macrofossil morphogroups and taxa, we propose a re-definition of the Nama Assemblage following the practice for Phanerozoic evolutionary faunas to include only new morphogroups of soft-bodied tubular, calcified taxa and complex trace fossils, defined by first appearance of Cloudina , which postdates deposition of the Kanies and lower Mara members and first appears ca. 550 Ma and persists until at least 539 Ma. Finally, the Tsaus Mountain environment is pristine, unspoilt by geologists and naturalists. Following World Heritage Convention, we suggest a pledge of non-destructive excavation that all future scientists should be able to make in publications of work that involve research in this area. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Wood, Rachel Bowyer, Fred. T. Alexander, Ruaridh Yilales, Mariana Uahengo, Collen-Issia Kaputuaza, Kavevaza Ndeunyema, Junias Curtis, Andrew |
spellingShingle |
Wood, Rachel Bowyer, Fred. T. Alexander, Ruaridh Yilales, Mariana Uahengo, Collen-Issia Kaputuaza, Kavevaza Ndeunyema, Junias Curtis, Andrew New Ediacaran biota from the oldest Nama Group, Namibia (Tsaus Mountains), and re-definition of the Nama Assemblage |
author_facet |
Wood, Rachel Bowyer, Fred. T. Alexander, Ruaridh Yilales, Mariana Uahengo, Collen-Issia Kaputuaza, Kavevaza Ndeunyema, Junias Curtis, Andrew |
author_sort |
Wood, Rachel |
title |
New Ediacaran biota from the oldest Nama Group, Namibia (Tsaus Mountains), and re-definition of the Nama Assemblage |
title_short |
New Ediacaran biota from the oldest Nama Group, Namibia (Tsaus Mountains), and re-definition of the Nama Assemblage |
title_full |
New Ediacaran biota from the oldest Nama Group, Namibia (Tsaus Mountains), and re-definition of the Nama Assemblage |
title_fullStr |
New Ediacaran biota from the oldest Nama Group, Namibia (Tsaus Mountains), and re-definition of the Nama Assemblage |
title_full_unstemmed |
New Ediacaran biota from the oldest Nama Group, Namibia (Tsaus Mountains), and re-definition of the Nama Assemblage |
title_sort |
new ediacaran biota from the oldest nama group, namibia (tsaus mountains), and re-definition of the nama assemblage |
publisher |
Cambridge University Press (CUP) |
publishDate |
2023 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0016756823000638 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0016756823000638 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(132.133,132.133,62.267,62.267) |
geographic |
Mara White Sea |
geographic_facet |
Mara White Sea |
genre |
White Sea |
genre_facet |
White Sea |
op_source |
Geological Magazine volume 160, issue 9, page 1673-1686 ISSN 0016-7568 1469-5081 |
op_rights |
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1017/s0016756823000638 |
container_title |
Geological Magazine |
container_volume |
160 |
container_issue |
9 |
container_start_page |
1673 |
op_container_end_page |
1686 |
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1802651040213893120 |