A remarkable fossiliferous mass flow deposit in the Eocene Eckfeld Maar (Germany)—sedimentological, taphonomical, and palaeoecological considerations

Abstract

The distal part of a mass flow deposit has been excavated across an area of 400 m 2 in the basinal facies of the Eckfeld Maar. The high concentration and diversity of fossils in mainly excellent preservation (i.e. leaves, fruits/seeds, wood, molluscs, vertebrate teeth, and bones such as undeformed sculls) is unique and underline its outstanding importance concerning sedimentological, taxonomical, and palaeoecological aspects. Together with a subaerial landslide from the inner crater slope, shoreline deposits-previously acting as a highly effective taphonomic filter-were transported towards the central lake basin. Complex processes like erosion, flow turbulence, and subsequent turbidity currents produced a characteristic sedimentary sequence. The interpretation of sedimentological, taphonomical, and physiological leaf characters allows an insight into the thus preserved shore line environment and provides information on the surrounding vegetation. Embedded leaves from open stands and understorey indicate dynamic successions on rather steep and unstable inner slopes of the crater.

Source to sink: A review of three decades of progress in the understanding of volcaniclastic processes, deposits, and hazards

“…The latter can host a rich record of climatic and environmental conditions (R.H.M. Hayward et al, 2002;Sabel et al, 2005), fossils (Sachse, 2005;Lee et al, 2007) and local and distal volcanism (Sandiford et al, 2001;Shane and Hoverd, 2002;Horrocks et al, 2005). Outside the maar basin proximal tephra beds are dominated by pyroclastic density current, debris jet, phreatomagmatic fall and subordinate scoriaceous magmatic fall beds (Sohn and Chough, 1989;Chough and Sohn, 1990;Sohn et al, 2008), while distal finely bedded tephras can accumulate several kilometres from source (Fig.…”

Phylogenetic relationships of Palaeogene ziphodont eusuchians and the status ofPristichampsusGervais, 1853

“…Fossils from elsewhere in Europe have been referred to P. rollinati (e.g. Caraven-Cachin 1880; Astre 1931; Weitzel 1938; Berg 1966; de Lapparent de Broin et al 1993; Windolf 1994; Rossmann 1998; Kotsakis et al 2004; Sachse 2005). These might, indeed, represent a single species.…”

Stable isotopic evidence for fossil food webs in Eocene Lake Messel

“…Characteristic top-down trophic cascades, where popula tions of primary producers and consumers are determined by higher predators, were estab lished in lakes by the Mesozoic and appear to have remained dominant throughout the Ter tiary with some fluctuations due to the evo lution and increasing input of terrestrial and aquatic macrophytes (Gray 1988;Cohen 2003). Reconstructions of specific Eocene lakes (Buchheim 1994;Murray 2001;Melchor et al 2002;Kvacek et al 2004;Sasche 2005) as well as widespread lake and terrestrial ecosystem dynamics (Barton and Wilson 1999;Janis 1993;Wilf et al 2003;Williams et al 2003;Wil son 1987) have shown that many of the same intertwining factors important to modern ecology, such as temperature and precipita tion variation, species richness, and ease of migration controlled Tertiary ecosystems. Specifically, fossil lacustrine food webs appear to have been determined by lake surface area, morphology, longevity, productivity, and sta bility (Cohen 2003;Gierlowski-Kordesch and Park 2004).…”