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Thalassinoides Ehrenberg, 1944 are relatively common bioturbational structures in carbonate shallow marine successions from the early Paleozoic. Much rarer is the reference to this ichnogenus in siliciclastic formations from the same age. In the Ordovician Lashkerak Formation cropping out at the Central Alborz mountains, Iran, Thalassinoides is a common trace fossil in wave-dominated shoreface complex and prodelta-mouth bar environments of a fluvial-dominated delta. We compare the Middle-to-Upper Ordovician branching networks of the Unit 2 of the Lashkerak Formation with the ichnospecies Thalassinoides horizontalis Myrow, 1995 emphasizing the almost entire beddingparallel orientation, regular branching and lack of constrictions and swellings. The eodiagenetic halos developed from mucus-lining walls, or by change of the original sediment fabric, typical of this and other ichnospecies of Thalassinoides in carbonate settings are not found in sandstones. The almost polygonal mazes from the Lashkerak Formation are also compared with the recently erected Protopaleodictyon aitkeni Morgan, Henderson & Pratt (2019), considered as a giant graphoglyptid in an early evolutionary stage of these forms in shallow marine environments. Both trace fossils are similar in morphology, size, preservation, ichnofacies and interpreted function, thus being P. aitkeni a junior synonym of Thalassinoides horizontalis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The distribution of conventional subichnofacies in deep‐water fan systems (i.e. Ophiomorpha rudis–Paleodictyon–Nereites‐subichnofacies) depends on the presence of fully turbulent non‐cohesive flows such as low‐density turbidites and high‐density turbidites. However, changes in flow state between laminar and turbulent conditions can affect the distribution style of conventional subichnofacies. This study deals with the effects of environmental or ecological stressors as a result of hybrid sediment gravity flows (hybrid event beds) on distribution and composition of trace fossils in the deep‐marine depositional system of the Ordovician Ghelli Formation in the north‐eastern Alborz Range. The spatial distribution and sedimentological character of hybrid sediment gravity flows, in particular their abundance in the down‐dip parts of lobe‐related facies associations, are interpreted as products of longitudinal and lateral transformation from turbidity currents to debris flows promoted by incorporation of significant claystone and mudstone clasts into the flow by seafloor erosion and flow bulking. Seven trace‐fossil assemblages were recognized in the channel and lobe‐related facies associations. The observed spatial distribution of trace‐fossil assemblages in the interpreted frontal and lateral lobe fringes, somewhat contrasts with conventional subichnofacies distribution models. The development of cohesive flows and rapid emplacement of turbidite, banded and debrite beds could be accompanied by fluctuations in physico‐chemical conditions and, hence, the time available for colonization and the lifestyle of producers. This study suggests that, compared to the archetypal models of the subichnofacies in down‐dip parts of lobe‐related facies associations, ichnodiversity and density of bioturbation are drastically reduced, and trace fossils are limited to simple, shallow‐tier feeding strategies. Commonly, the presence of cohesive flows may have forced the producers in the Paleodictyon and Nereites‐subichnofacies to migrate into lateral lobe fringe with more participation of low‐density turbidites. This study shows that, in addition to sedimentological and architectural criteria, ichnological criteria can also be used to distinguish between frontal and lateral lobe‐fringe deposits in unconfined systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Deh‐Molla Formation of the Alborz Zone in northern Iran is a key unit to understanding global sea‐level fluctuations, and likely climate changes during the Furongian Epoch. The sedimentological characteristics of the formation indicate that the succession was deposited on a gently sloping epeiric platform on the northern margin of Gondwana. The Paibian Member 1 of the Deh‐Molla Formation was deposited on a carbonate platform with stable environmental conditions, probably during a (semi)arid climate condition, as indicated by microbial–sponge patch reefs, thick‐bedded units formed in broad facies belts, and a thick dolomite unit formed under evaporative conditions. The overlying Member 2, considered to span the Jiangshanian–Age 10, includes thin‐bedded wavy, and rippled strata known as ribbon rocks. This sequence records considerable environmental fluctuations. Thin‐bedded strata with flat‐pebble conglomerates, hummocky cross‐stratification, lenticular, flaser, and wavy bedding, ripple cross‐lamination, and graded bedding signify that deposition of Member 2 took place in a depositional environment repeatedly affected by tidal currents, and storm waves. A comparison of the Deh‐Molla Formation, and particularly its ribbon rocks with coeval strata in Laurentia and North China reveals secular controls on their development. In contrast to the Furongian strata of the Great American Carbonate Bank, deposited under tropical conditions, the ribbon rocks of the Deh‐Molla Formation suggest deposition in a temperate latitude zone with dominant cool‐water conditions. However, the Deh‐Molla platform was seasonally subjected to monsoons that brought warm tropical waters to the region, and led to rapidly changing environments. Ooids, peloids, stromatolites, and other criteria suggestive of a tropical climate are frequent in Laurentian successions, but absent in the Deh‐Molla Member 2. However, both Laurentian and Gondwanan examples share characters that indicate comparable controls on their development. Significant environmental changes during the Furongian are indicated by the SPICE and HERB events, and the latter is taken as showing biotic and physico‐chemical changes in the ocean and atmosphere, possibly concurrent with the formation of ribbon rocks on different continental blocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study integrates ichnological and sedimentological data to interpret depositional environments in the carbonate sediments of the Mobarak Fm. (Lower Carboniferous) in the Alborz Mountains of northern Iran. Seven ichnofabrics including Thalassinoides (Th), Zoophycos‒Phycosiphon (Zo-Ph), Skolithos‒Thalassinoides (Sk-Th), Zoophycos‒Diplocraterion (Zo-Di), Thalassinoides‒Rhizocorallium (Th-Rh), Zoophycos‒Arenicolites (Zo-Ar) and Chondrites‒Phycosiphon (Ch-Ph) have been identified in the studied succession. Th ichnofabric is characterised by the dominance of the deposit-feeding trace fossils, revealing low sedimentation rate and activity of the organisms in a loose substrate. Vertical succession of the Zo-Ph, Sk-Th and Zo-Di ichnofabrics indicates change in the firmness of the substrate. Th-Rh and Zo-Ar ichnofabrics reveal two different energy phases including a lower energy condition with the activity of deposit-feeders and a higher energy phase identified by the activity of suspension-feeders. Ch-Ph ichnofabric is characterised by low diversity and low abundance of trace fossils that were identified in black, limy shale, displaying a long lasting outer ramp setting with low energy, low sedimentation rate, and dysoxic-anoxic conditions of the substrate. Ichnological features of the Mobarak Fm. are controlled by subsidence-inducing changes in the accommodation space of the depositional system dictating variations in paleoenvironmental conditions such as oxygen levels and hydrodynamic energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The carbonate‐dominated successions of the Tirgan Formation (Latest Barremian‐Early Aptian) in the Kopet‐Dagh Basin (Iran) were studied to decipher the tectonic and eustatic sea‐level effects, as well as the autogenic influence on lateral and vertical facies changes, depositional environment, and sequence stratigraphy of the tide‐wave‐dominated sediments at the northern margin of the Neo‐Tethys Ocean. Fourteen facies were identified in the studied sequences, here grouped into five facies associations according to the depositional setting: tidal flat (A), lagoon (B), shoal (C), shallow open‐marine (D), and deep‐open marine (E). A third‐order depositional sequence, including a transgressive system tract (TST) and a highstand system tract (HST) was also identified, along with several medium‐ and small‐scale, thickening‐ and shallowing‐upward cycles (parasequences). The development of the depositional sequence and parasequences of the studied successions of the Tirgan Formation were controlled by interactions between allogenic (tectonic and eustasy) and autogenic factors (wave and tidal hydrodynamic regimes). The allogenic factors mainly affected the stacking pattern and parasequence development of the TST deposits in the lower part of the Tirgan Formation, characterized mainly by the deep‐open marine association. Autogenic factors display a main influence on the stacking pattern and formation of the HST deposits and related parasequences, characterized by shallow open‐marine‐lagoon–shoal associations developed in the upper part of the Tirgan Formation. The tectono‐sedimentary model for the evolution of the tide‐wave‐dominated carbonate platform represented by the Tirgan Formation may be useful for further studies on sedimentary basin evolution or palaeogeographic reconstructions of the Neo‐Tethys margin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study documents the distribution of matgrounds in a wide variety of environments recorded in the Ordovician Lashkerak and Ghelli Formations in the Alborz Mountains of northern Iran in order to evaluate controls on their distribution along the marine depositional profile. Detailed facies analysis allowed differentiating three groups of facies associations in the Lower to Upper Ordovician deposits of the Lashkerak formation: (i) estuarine system; (ii) wave‐dominated shoreface‐offshore complex; and (iii) mixed river‐ and wave‐influenced deltaic system. The Middle to Upper Ordovician deposits of the Ghelli formation are divided into two groups of facies associations: (i) tide‐influenced deltaic succession and (ii) deep‐water fan system. Microbially induced sedimentary structures (MISS) are present in deposits formed in the central estuarine basin (Lashkerak formation) and in proximal lobes and lobe fringes of deep–water turbidite fans (Ghelli formation). On the contrary, MISS are absent in deposits from the wave‐dominated shoreface‐offshore complex, river‐ and tide‐dominated deltas, and various subenvironments of the incised wave‐dominated estuary (i.e., bayhead delta and estuary mouth) and the deep‐marine turbidite fan system (i.e., turbidite channel, slope, and outer lobe). The lack of evidence of mat‐building microorganisms in the deltaic systems may have resulted from two factors: (1) high physico‐chemical stressors caused by river‐induced processes, and (2) increase in degree of sediment disturbance, biodiffusion, and bioirrigation by burrowing organisms. Formation of microbial mats in the wave‐dominated shoreface‐offshore complex was inhibited by the activity of an abundant and diverse infauna capable of reworking the sediment. Our analysis shows that the spatial distribution of microbial mats was controlled by an interplay of environmental factors and innovations in animal‐substrate interactions, mostly expressed by secular changes in bioturbation. This study supports the notion that the agronomic revolution was diachronic, with marginal‐marine and deep‐sea ecosystems lagging behind shallow‐marine settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Tremadocian‐to‐Floian siliciclastic deposits of the Shirgesht Formation in the Kalmard Block of central Iran show abundant occurrences of the mid‐tier Trichophycus venosus, a common ichnotaxon in the archetypical Cruziana ichnofacies. This trace fossil records a considerable increase in exploitation of offshore infaunal ecospace in comparison with older formations. Here, Trichophycus is relatively long and wide, with numerous and deep successively stacked causative burrows, which form dense burrow systems building the Crowded Trichophycus ichnofabric (CTI). Such development of CTI and the increase in depth of bioturbation had a negative effect on preservation of shallow‐tier traces, for example arthropod burrows and trackways. This resulted in decreasing abundance of trilobite‐produced trace fossils towards the top of the succession. The palaeobiological and palaeoecological interpretation of CTI points to stable habitats in muddy substrates above the storm wave base with high content of food and oxygen in pore waters, low‐energy hydrodynamic regimes and a long colonization window. Moreover, the architecture and the morphological features of Trichophycus suggest a combined dwelling‐feeding activity of the resident fair‐weather producer showing the K‐selected/climax strategy. The ethology of the producer, palaeoecological interpretations and taphonomic signatures revealed that it preferred dewatered, compacted muddy substrates (firmgrounds) in offshore settings, which might be related to minor hiatuses or short‐lived discontinuities. Although the appearance of Trichophycus is concomitant to the earliest Cambrian agronomic revolution, it was uncommon until the early Ordovician, when locally it records infaunalization related to the Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Middle-Late Ordovician Ghelli Formation in the Kopet Dagh region northeastern Alborz range of Iran is composed of siliciclastic rocks deposited in a variety of turbidite to marginal marine environments (deep marine clastic fan and related environments and prodelta, distal delta front, proximal delta front and distributary channels). The ichnology of the middle member of the Ghelli Formation is here reported. Combined sedimentological and ichnological analysis allows recognition of a tide-influenced deltaic succession in the middle member of the Ghelli Formation consisting of three main facies associations: lower distributary channels, delta front and prodelta facies. Twenty-two ichnogenera have been identified in this marginal marine succession: Arenicolites, Arthrophycus, Bergaueria, Chondrites, Conichnus, Cruziana, Cylindrichnus, Didymaulichnus, Diplichnites, Diplocraterion, Helminthopsis, Gyrochorte, Lockeia, Macaronichnus, Monomorphichnus, Palaeophycus, Planolites, Rosselia, Rusophcus, Skolithos, Teichichnus and ?Scolicia. Their distribution is clearly linked with lithofacies and depositional palaeoenvironments. The ichnological analysis reveals that the trace fossil suites developed in these environments indicate low diversity and low to moderate abundance of burrows, poor development of tiering and sporadic distribution. Low ichnodiversity and low bioturbation intensities with higher bioturbation clusters consist of facies-crossing ichnogenera, and the impoverishment of suspension-feeding trophic types indicates 'stressed', non-archetypal expression of the Cruziana ichnofacies. The periodic higher intensities of bioturbation due to variations in hydrodynamic regimes of tidal currents reflect the archetypal of the Cruziana ichnofacies (and rare Skolithos ichnofacies). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]