Trackway preservation in eolian sandstones from the Permian of Scotland

Abstract

Research Article| July 01, 1991 Trackway preservation in eolian sandstones from the Permian of Scotland Patrick J. McKeever Patrick J. McKeever 1Department of Geology, Queen's University of Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN, Ireland Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Patrick J. McKeever 1Department of Geology, Queen's University of Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN, Ireland Publisher: Geological Society of America First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 Geological Society of America Geology (1991) 19 (7): 726–729. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1991)019<0726:TPIESF>2.3.CO;2 Article history First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Patrick J. McKeever; Trackway preservation in eolian sandstones from the Permian of Scotland. Geology 1991;; 19 (7): 726–729. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1991)019<0726:TPIESF>2.3.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Despite the widespread conception of deserts as places almost barren of life, the geologic record shows that the tracks and traces of animals are often associated with desert deposits. The reluctance of some geologists to associate such tracks with eolian deposits has even led some to conclude that the tracks, and therefore the rocks, were formed under water. Eolian sandstones showing the tracks of vertebrate animals range from Carboniferous to Holocene in age and include such famous formations as the Coconino and Navajo sandstones of the United States, the Botucatu Sandstone of Brazil, and the Cave Sandstone of southern Africa. Three eolian sandstone formations from the Permian of Scotland have tracks believed to have been made by pelycosaurs, anomodonts, and pareiasaurs. A study of these formtions has helped in interpreting how such tracks in eolian sandstones were formed and preserved. Two of these formations occur in isolated basins in Dumfries and Galloway, where the tracks occur on the surface of very thin, clay-rich, silt laminae probably deposited following a storm or small-flood event. The tracks from a third formation in Grampian are closely associated with sheetflood deposits and contorted strata, both believed to indicate the presence of water. Sufficient water was therefore present in both areas to give the sand the degree of cohesion necessary for track formation and preservation. This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.