Exceptionally preserved lacustrine ostracods from the Middle Miocene of Antarctica: implications for high latitude palaeoenvironment at 77° south

A newly discovered Konservat-Lagerstätte from the Middle Miocene of the western Olympus Range, Dry Valleys, Antarctica, yields cypridoidean ostracods complete with preserved body and appendages. This is the first record of 3-dimensionally fossilized animal soft tissues from the continent. The ostrac...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Mark Williams, David J. Siveter, Allan C. Ashworth, Philip R. Wilby, David J. Horne, Adam R. Lewis, David R. Marchant
Format: Other Non-Article Part of Journal/Newspaper
Language:unknown
Published: 2008
Subjects:
Uncategorized
ostracods
Konservat Lagerstätte
Dry Valleys
Miocene palaeoclimate
palaeolake
pyritization
soft-tissues
Boreas
Olympus
Olympus Range
Antarc*
Antarctica
Tundra
Online Access:https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Exceptionally_preserved_lacustrine_ostracods_from_the_Middle_Miocene_of_Antarctica_implications_for_high_latitude_palaeoenvironment_at_77_south/10082582
Description
Summary:A newly discovered Konservat-Lagerstätte from the Middle Miocene of the western Olympus Range, Dry Valleys, Antarctica, yields cypridoidean ostracods complete with preserved body and appendages. This is the first record of 3-dimensionally fossilized animal soft tissues from the continent. The ostracods are preserved in goethite, secondary after pyrite, representing a novel mode of exceptional preservation. They signal a high latitude (>77°S) lake setting (Palaeolake Boreas) viable for benthic animal colonisation prior to 14 Ma. Their presence supports the notion of warmer, tundra-like environmental conditions persisting in the Dry Valleys until the Middle Miocene.

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