Trace fossil classification: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 03:27, 28 September 2014

Revision as of 22:21, 9 December 2014

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==History==

Early paleontologists originally classified many burrow fossils as the remains of marine [[algae]], as is apparent in ichnogenera named with the ''-phycus'' suffix. [[Alfred Gabriel Nathorst]] and J.Joseph F. James both controversially challenged this incorrect classification, suggesting the reinterpretation of many "algae" as marine invertebrate trace fossils.<ref name="TreatiseSupp1">{{Cite book|isbn=9780813730271|title= Miscellanea: Supplement 1, Trace Fossils and Problematica | last1= Häntzschel | first1= Walter | editor1-last = Moore | editor1-first= Raymond C. | year= 1975 | publisher= Geological Society of America | series= Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology}}</ref>

Several attempts to classify trace fossils have been made throughout the history of paleontology. In 1844, [[Edward Hitchcock]] proposed two [[order (biology)|orders]]: ''Apodichnites'', including footless trails, and ''Polypodichnites'', including trails of organisms with more than four feet.<ref name="TreatiseSupp1"></ref>