A paleoenvironmental and ecological analysis of biomarkers from the Eocene Fossil Basin, Green River Formation, U.S.A.
Exceptionally well-preserved fossil specimens in the Fossil Basin of the Green River Formation (GRF) have made it the subject of extensive paleontological study, but the organic molecular framework that evolved during a key paleoclimatic and fossil-bearing interval during the early Eocene is poorly...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Journal Article |
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2024
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| Online Access: | http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/FL210100103 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/96070 |
| _version_ | 1848766089043902464 |
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| author | Elson, Amy Schwark, Lorenz Whiteside, J.H. Hopper, Peter Poropat, Stephen Holman, Alex Grice, Kliti |
| author_facet | Elson, Amy Schwark, Lorenz Whiteside, J.H. Hopper, Peter Poropat, Stephen Holman, Alex Grice, Kliti |
| author_sort | Elson, Amy |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Exceptionally well-preserved fossil specimens in the Fossil Basin of the Green River Formation (GRF) have made it the subject of extensive paleontological study, but the organic molecular framework that evolved during a key paleoclimatic and fossil-bearing interval during the early Eocene is poorly understood. Whereas the organic geochemistry of the larger co-eval GRF basins has been extensively characterized, our molecular understanding of the fossil-bearing layers in the Fossil Basin and the drivers of the exceptional fossilization therein remain unresolved. To bridge this gap, sediments from the famous 18″-layer — the fossiliferous horizon that is extensively quarried for exceptional soft-tissue fossils — were sampled for organic and isotopic geochemical characterisation. The results show that the Fossil Basin sedimentary archive is geochemically distinct from other GRF basins, as exemplified by the absence of the classical biomarker β-carotane and minimal evidence for the large green algal blooms that predominate in the other GRF lake basins. Photic zone euxinia (PZE), anoxia, and a freshwater cap enabled development of a productive and diverse ecosystem. Salinity and density stratification prevented vertical mixing of the water column and supported preservation of decaying carcasses. In contrast to other GRF basins, the small areal extent and ellipsoid shape of the Fossil Basin focussed terrestrial and freshwater inputs into the lake, resulting in ideal conditions for preservation of an exceptional fossil record. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:45:36Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-96070 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:45:36Z |
| publishDate | 2024 |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-960702024-11-07T01:06:05Z A paleoenvironmental and ecological analysis of biomarkers from the Eocene Fossil Basin, Green River Formation, U.S.A. Elson, Amy Schwark, Lorenz Whiteside, J.H. Hopper, Peter Poropat, Stephen Holman, Alex Grice, Kliti Exceptionally well-preserved fossil specimens in the Fossil Basin of the Green River Formation (GRF) have made it the subject of extensive paleontological study, but the organic molecular framework that evolved during a key paleoclimatic and fossil-bearing interval during the early Eocene is poorly understood. Whereas the organic geochemistry of the larger co-eval GRF basins has been extensively characterized, our molecular understanding of the fossil-bearing layers in the Fossil Basin and the drivers of the exceptional fossilization therein remain unresolved. To bridge this gap, sediments from the famous 18″-layer — the fossiliferous horizon that is extensively quarried for exceptional soft-tissue fossils — were sampled for organic and isotopic geochemical characterisation. The results show that the Fossil Basin sedimentary archive is geochemically distinct from other GRF basins, as exemplified by the absence of the classical biomarker β-carotane and minimal evidence for the large green algal blooms that predominate in the other GRF lake basins. Photic zone euxinia (PZE), anoxia, and a freshwater cap enabled development of a productive and diverse ecosystem. Salinity and density stratification prevented vertical mixing of the water column and supported preservation of decaying carcasses. In contrast to other GRF basins, the small areal extent and ellipsoid shape of the Fossil Basin focussed terrestrial and freshwater inputs into the lake, resulting in ideal conditions for preservation of an exceptional fossil record. 2024 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/96070 10.1016/j.orggeochem.2024.104830 http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/FL210100103 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ fulltext |
| spellingShingle | Elson, Amy Schwark, Lorenz Whiteside, J.H. Hopper, Peter Poropat, Stephen Holman, Alex Grice, Kliti A paleoenvironmental and ecological analysis of biomarkers from the Eocene Fossil Basin, Green River Formation, U.S.A. |
| title | A paleoenvironmental and ecological analysis of biomarkers from the Eocene Fossil Basin, Green River Formation, U.S.A. |
| title_full | A paleoenvironmental and ecological analysis of biomarkers from the Eocene Fossil Basin, Green River Formation, U.S.A. |
| title_fullStr | A paleoenvironmental and ecological analysis of biomarkers from the Eocene Fossil Basin, Green River Formation, U.S.A. |
| title_full_unstemmed | A paleoenvironmental and ecological analysis of biomarkers from the Eocene Fossil Basin, Green River Formation, U.S.A. |
| title_short | A paleoenvironmental and ecological analysis of biomarkers from the Eocene Fossil Basin, Green River Formation, U.S.A. |
| title_sort | paleoenvironmental and ecological analysis of biomarkers from the eocene fossil basin, green river formation, u.s.a. |
| url | http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/FL210100103 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/96070 |