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Steinkerns: fossils or ichnofossils?


Max-fossils

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Hi all,

 

I was wondering: would the steinkern of for example a Turritella be considered a fossil or an ichnofossil?

Because in fact, the shell itself didn’t become a fossil, and what we are looking at is just sediment that filled in the shell and then solidified. But then again I’ve never heard of a steinkern being referred as an ichnofossil...

 

So what do you guys think: really a fossil, or just a trace fossil?

 

I am curious to see everyone’s opinion :) 

 

Best regards,

 

Max

Max Derème

 

"I feel an echo of the lightning each time I find a fossil. [...] That is why I am a hunter: to feel that bolt of lightning every day."

   - Mary Anning >< Remarkable Creatures, Tracy Chevalier

 

Instagram: @world_of_fossils

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The infiling of a gastropod is an internal mold (steinkern) fossil and is not an ichnofossil. An ichnofossil is a trace made by movement or a behavior of the fossil organism.

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54 minutes ago, DPS Ammonite said:

The infiling of a gastropod is an internal mold (steinkern) fossil and is not an ichnofossil. An ichnofossil is a trace made by movement or a behavior of the fossil organism.

And both of them are referred to equally as fossils.

 

Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger

http://www.steinkern.de/

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I was under the impression that ichnofossils must necessarily contain information about animal behavior, which is a characteristic that steinkerns do not have.

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@DPS Ammonite @Ludwigia @Pumpkinhead thanks for the replies, you've convinced me that steinkerns are indeed fossils and not ichnofossils. :fistbump:

 

Btw, @DPS Ammonite, very nice profile picture too :D

Max Derème

 

"I feel an echo of the lightning each time I find a fossil. [...] That is why I am a hunter: to feel that bolt of lightning every day."

   - Mary Anning >< Remarkable Creatures, Tracy Chevalier

 

Instagram: @world_of_fossils

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