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Submitted by Izabel Franco (izabel-franco@ufscar.br) on 2016-10-04T19:08:31Z No. of bitstreams: 1 DissRMAS.pdf: 2567370 bytes, checksum: 878fab5581b7d1cab72a62b808602d5a (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Marina Freitas (marinapf@ufscar.br) on 2016-10-20T18:17:46Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 DissRMAS.pdf: 2567370 bytes, checksum: 878fab5581b7d1cab72a62b808602d5a (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Marina Freitas (marinapf@ufscar.br) on 2016-10-20T18:17:53Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 DissRMAS.pdf: 2567370 bytes, checksum: 878fab5581b7d1cab72a62b808602d5a (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-10-20T18:18:00Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 DissRMAS.pdf: 2567370 bytes, checksum: 878fab5581b7d1cab72a62b808602d5a (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-05-12 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Ichnofossils are abundant in the sandstones of the Botucatu Formation, Paraná Basin, of Neocomian age. This formation covers much of the Midwest, Southeast and South of Brazil, and other countries in South America. Several sandstone samples containing trace fossils were collected and deposited in the paleontological collection of the Departmento de Ecologia e Biologia Evolutiva (DEBE) of the Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCar). In this work, trace fossils attributed to arachnids, i.e. ichnogenera Paleohelcura Gilmore, 1926 and Octopodichnus Gilmore, 1927, were studied and their presence is recorded for the first time in Brazil. The aim of this study was to infer how different environmental conditions such as moisture, texture, substrate inclination and even behavioral aspects of the organisms can affect the structure of the traces left by different arthropods. To do this, several neoichnological experiments were made, with six arachnids (two Tityus serrulatus, one Lycosa sp., one Loxosceles sp., and two individuals of the family Gonyleptidae) and five individuals of other invertebrate classes (three insects, one isopod and one diplopod). The experiments consisted on making the animals walk on a tray with sand of different grain sizes, different inclinations and different moisture levels. The results of these experiments, which showed different trace morphologies, according to each imposed condition, proved the influence of these conditions on the morphology of the footprints and on the behavior of the studied animals. In addition, these results showed how, in some situations, for example, in an uphill movement in a slope of 30° of inclination, it’s possible that animals with highly different track’s shapes leave very similar tracks, thus making much more difficult the identification of the track’s producer animal through the analysis of the ichnofossils. It was also possible to prove how the moisture level and the substrate inclination are important for the tracks’ preservation. / Icnofósseis são abundantes nos arenitos da Formação Botucatu, Bacia do Paraná, de idade Neocomiana. Esta formação abrange grande parte do Centro-oeste, Sudeste e Sul do Brasil, além de outros países da América do Sul. Várias amostras de arenito contendo icnofósseis foram coletadas e depositadas na coleção paleontológica do Departamento de Ecologia e Biologia Evolutiva (DEBE) da UFSCar. Neste trabalho foram estudados os icnofósseis atribuídos a aracnídeos, ou seja, os icnogêneros Paleohelcura Gilmore, 1926 e Octopodichnus Gilmore, 1927, registrados pela primeira vez no Brasil. O principal objetivo deste estudo foi identificar como diferentes condições do ambiente, como umidade, textura, inclinação do substrato e até mesmo aspectos comportamentais podem afetar a estrutura dos rastros deixados por diferentes artrópodes. Para isso foram realizados diversos experimentos neoicnológicos com seis aracnídeos (dois Tityus serrulatus, uma Lycosa sp., uma Loxosceles sp., e dois indivíduos da família Gonyleptidae) e cinco indivíduos de outras classes de invertebrados (três insetos, um isópode e um diplópode). Os experimentos consistiram em fazer os animais caminharem sobre uma bandeja com diferentes granulometrias de areia em diferentes inclinações e com diferentes níveis de umidade. Os resultados desses experimentos, que mostraram diferentes formatos dos rastros de acordo com cada condição imposta, comprovaram a influência dessas condições na morfologia das pegadas e no comportamento dos animais estudados. Além disso, esses resultados mostraram como em algumas situações, por exemplo, em um movimento de subida em relevos de 30° de inclinação, é possível que animais com morfologias acentuadamente diferentes deixem rastros muito semelhantes, o que dificulta a identificação do animal produtor por meio da análise de icnofósseis. Também foi possível comprovar como a umidade e a inclinação do substrato são importantes na conservação dos rastros.

During the Early Cretaceous a regionally extensive cover of dominantly siliciclastic sediments was deposited across the North African continental margin. Historically, these siliciclastic sediments have been considered to be a relatively homogeneous lithofacies known as the ‘Nubian sandstone’. This lithofacies is generally described as coarse grained, cross-bedded sandstone and is ascribed to a braided fluvial depositional environment. However, there have been few detailed sedimentological studies carried out on these sediments. Furthermore, the stratigraphic relationships between regional Early Cretaceous continental strata in different North African countries has only briefly been described and has only locally been related to equivalent marine deposits. In order to address these problems, this study focuses upon two main approaches. Firstly, outcrop analysis of the Messak Fm (SW Libya) and the Sidi Aïch Fm (C Tunisia) details and contrasts the lithofacies variability of Early Cretaceous siliciclastic sediments in North Africa. Secondly, a unified stratigraphic framework is erected for the Early Cretaceous of Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt and the palaeogeographic evolution is reconstructed. Detailed sedimentological investigation of the Messak Fm has identified greater variation in lithofacies and depositional processes than was previously recognised. By lithostratigraphic correlation with outcrops in northwest Libya, we show a fluvial system transported sediment northward into a wide fluvio-paralic basin covering western Libya. Several episodes of marine influence culminating in a distinct and regionally correlatable transgressive episode are identified. This is the first time that marine influence has been identified in the Murzuq Basin and increases the maximum known extent of marine transgression in the Early Cretaceous of Libya by 600km. The sedimentology of the Messak Fm is contrasted with the sandstone dominated Sidi Aïch Fm which, although showing similar lithofacies, was deposited in a marginal-shallow marine environment.Building upon previous reviews and new insights from the Messak Fm and Sidi Aïch Fm, a synthesis and reinterpretation of the spatial and temporal heterogeneity of sediments and depositional environments in this region throughout the Early Cretaceous is presented. During the Berriasian-Barremian, the North African platform coastline was dominated by a dry subtropical climate with moderate vegetation. The interior of the platform experienced a Savannah-like semi-arid climate with limited vegetation and palaeosol development but was crossed by extensive fluvial networks draining the equatorial tropics. During the Late Barremian-Early Aptian, simultaneous aridification and marine transgression led to a decreased detrital flux to the marginal basins and widespread deposition of marine carbonates and mudstones. During the Late Aptian-Albian the platform returned to a humid tropical climate. Widespread coarse grained fluvial sediments mark the base of this sequence and palaeosols occur locally. The results of this work have implications for the development and controls of large-scale fluvio-paralic systems and illustrate the fact that, in a limited accommodation epicontinental setting, relative sea-level may be the key control on sedimentation and depositional processes for many hundreds of kilometres inland of the lowstand coastline.

The Cambrian explosion not only shaped the ecosystems of the Phanerozoic, but fundamentally changed how biota interacts with the environment, including the substrate. Cambrian trace fossils Alectorurus and Syringomorpha as well as Ordovician-Silurian Daedalus represent novel modes of faunal interaction with the newly innovated shallow marine mixed-ground and have surprisingly limited stratigraphic ranges. This study investigates vertically oriented spreiten trace fossils from the Armorican Quartzite Formation near Castañar de Ibor, Spain and the File Haidar Formation near Hällekis, Sweden. Site and trace fossil description was conducted to compare and contrast their morphology, ecological relationships, and potential affinities. While all these fossils feature J-shaped vertically oriented spreiten structures, Alectorurus is the most closely comparable Cambrian ichnofossil to the largely Ordovician Daedalus due to their similarity in overall size, morphology, and sedimentary environment. Alectorurus represents the earliest known occurrence of animal behavior comparable to Daedalus within similar facies. This short-lived ichnofossils may have gone extinct due to complexifying trophic chains in the shallow marine realm as brought forth from heightened predation and land-plant derived organics. Interpretations of the affinity of Daedalus, regarding the construction, and ecological niche can be extended to Alectorurus and may be used to help piece together the construction, ecology and affinities of these enigmatic Cambrian and Ordovician trace fossils.

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No description available.

Integrada às análises faciológica, o estudo de icnofósseis vem sendo cada vez mais aplicado em interpretações paleoambientais e estratigráficas de estratos sedimentares. No caso particular de ambientes costeiros, esta ferramenta possibilita refinar reconstituições da dinâmica de variação da linha de costa durante ciclos transgressivos-regressivos. No caso de depósitos sedimentares caracterizados por conteúdo fossilífero escasso ou inexistente, o estudo de icnofósseis tem papel fundamental em reconstituições paleoambientais por fornecerem informações sobre condições de deposição, como salinidade, energia do fluxo, oxigenação e consistência do substrato. Publicações prévias revelaram uma abundância de icnofósseis junto à Formação Barreiras (Mioceno) e aos Sedimentos Pós-Barreiras (Quaternário) expostos no litoral norte e nordeste do Brasil. Dada a ampla distribuição geográfica por mais de 5.000 km no litoral brasileiro, esses estratos são de grande interesse para o registro de eventos neógenos e quaternários no continente sulamericano. Apesar dessa importância científica, a reconstituição paleoambiental e estratigráfica, tanto da Formação Barreiras, quanto dos Sedimentos Pós-Barreiras, em várias áreas da costa nordeste do Brasil, permanece por ser documentada. O objetivo principal desta tese de doutorado foi a reconstituição paleoambiental de depósitos neógenos e quaternários tardios na Bacia Paraíba dentro do contexto de variações do nível do mar e da neotectônica. A metodologia empregada foi a análise faciológica e icnológica. Para o caso dos depósitos quaternários, essas análises foram integradas com dados cronológicos obtidos a partir de datação por luminescência opticamente estimulada. Os resultados obtidos para a Formação Barreiras revelaram uma variedade de estruturas sedimentares comuns em associação a correntes de maré tais como sucessões de superfícies de reativação e filmes de argila, estratos cruzados em sentidos opostos e estratos cruzados contendo pares de foresets alternadamente mais delgados e mais espessos relacionados à flutuações cíclicas (diurnas) da maré. Além disto, essas estruturas ocorrem em depósitos contendo uma assembleia icnológica representativa de ambientes de alta energia com influência marinha e predomínio de condições de água salobra, particularmente exemplificados pelas ocorrências das icnofábricas de Ophimorpha, Planolites-Palaeophycus-Thalassinoides e Thalassinoides-Planolites-Palaeophycus. Estes resultados, somados ao reconhecimento de ambientes deposicionais transicionais, incluindo canal estuarino, baía central estuarina, canal de inlet/canal de maré, delta de maré/leque de transbordamento, planície/baixio de maré e antepraia, levaram à interpretação de um sistema deposicional do tipo estuarino com domínio de ondas. Um aspecto importante derivado dessa pesquisa foi que o predomínio de deposição sedimentar em vales estuarinos como proposto para a Formação Barreiras na área de estudo amplia a extensão da transgressão miocênica ao longo da costa nordeste do Brasil. Nesse sentido, o uso de icnofósseis foi de importância fundamental para completar a reconstituição paleoambiental desses depósitos, particularmente considerando a ausência de organismos fósseis. Da mesma forma, a integração de dados faciológicos e icnológicos foi de grande relevância para a reconstituição dos paleoambientes de deposição dos Sedimentos Pós-Barreiras, até então pouco conhecidos. Assim, os depósitos dessa unidade foram relacionados com ambientes marinho raso, que é uma interpretação compatível com o registro predominante da icnofabrica Thalassinoides. Além disso, os dados cronológicos indicaram deposição dos Sedimentos Pós-Barreiras entre 60.0 (± 1.4) e 15.1 (±1.8) ka. Um fato de destaque é a ocorrência desses estratos em altitudes de até 38 m acima do nível do mar atual na área de estudo, que é um posicionamento topográfico incompatível com a tendência de queda progressiva do nível do mar correspondente à última glaciação, particularmente no Último Máximo Glacial, quando se estima que o nível do mar esteve várias dezenas de metros abaixo do atual. Este fato, adicionado ao contexto neotectônico da área de estudo, sugere que o posicionamento elevado desses depósitos costeiros se deu por soerguimento tectônico. Os dados apresentados nessa pesquisa permitiram calcular uma taxa de soerguimento dos Sedimentos Pós-Barreiras de cerca de 0,63 a 1,97 mm/ano. Este valor indica que, pelo menos localmente, houve reativação tectônica mais intensa que aquela previamente reconhecida no estágio pós-rifte para a margem leste da placa sul-americana. / The study of trace fossils integrated with sedimentological analysis has been increasingly applied in paleoenvironmental and stratigraphic interpretations of sedimentary strata. In the particular instance of costal environments, this tool allows refine reconstructions on the dynamics of shoreline changes during transgressive-regressive cycles. In the case of sedimentary deposits characterized by scarce or no fossil content, studies of ichnological assemblages play a fundamental role in paleoenvironmental reconstructions, because they provide information about the conditions at the time of deposition, as salinity, flow energy, oxygenation and substrate consistency. Previous publications revealed an abundance of trace fossils in the Barreiras Formation (Miocene) and Post-Barreiras Formation (Quaternary) exposed in the northern and northeastern coast of Brazil. These strata have great interest to the record of Neogene and Quaternary events in the South American continent, due to their wide geographical distribution along more than 5.000 km of the Brazilian littoral. Despite this scientific interest, the paleoenvironmental and stratigraphic reconstitutions of both the Barreiras Formation and the Post-Barreiras Sediments remain to be documented in several areas of the northeastern Brazilian coast. The main goal of this doctoral thesis was the paleoenvironmental reconstitution of Neogene and late Quaternary deposits in the Paraíba Basin within the context of sea level changes and neotectonics. The methodological approach consisted of faciological and ichnological analyses. In the instance of Quaternary strata, these analyses were integrated with chronological data obtained by optically stimulated luminescence. The results obtained for the Barreiras Formation revealed a variety of tidal sedimentary structures commonly associated with tidal currents, such as reactivation surfaces and mud drapes, herringbone cross-stratification and alternating thicker/thinner foreset packages generally marked by reactivation surfaces bounded by mud layers (i.e., tidal bundles) that are related to cyclic (diurnal) tidal fluctuation . Furthermore, these structures occur in deposits containing an ichnological assemblages representative of high energy environments with marine influence and predominance of brackish water conditions, which are particularly exemplified by Ophiomorpha, Planolites-Palaeophycus-Thalassinoides e Thalassinoides-Planolites-Palaeophycus. These results, added to the recognition of coastal depositional environments, including estuarine channel, estuarine central bay, tidal inlet/tidal channel, tidal delta/washover, tidal flat/shoal and foreshore, led to propose a wave-dominated estuary as the depositional system. One important aspect derived from this research is that the predominance of deposition in estuarine valleys as proposed for the Barreiras Formation in the study area expands the extent of the Miocene transgression along to the northeastern Brazilian coast. It follows that the use of trace fossils played a fundamental role to complete the paleoenvironmental reconstitution of these deposits, particularly considering the lack of fossil organisms. Similarly, the integration of faciological and ichnological data was of great importance to the reconstitution of depositional paleoenvironments of the Post-Barreiras Sediments, still poorly known up to now. . Hence, the deposits of this unit were related to a shallow marine setting, which is an interpretation compatible with the predominant record of the Thalassinoides ichnofabric. Furthermore, the chronological data indicated deposition of the Post- Barreiras Sediments between 60.0 (± 1.4) and 15.1 (±1.8) ka. It is remarkable the record of these strata in altitudes up to 38 m above the modern sea level in the study area, which is a topographic position incompatible with the progressive trend of sea level fall corresponding to the last glaciation, particularly in the Last Glacial Maximum, when the sea level was several tens of meters below the present sea level. This fact, added to the neotectonic context of the study area, suggests that the high altitude of these coastal deposits may have been caused by tectonic uplift. The data showed in this research allowed calculating an uplift rate of as much as 1.97 mm/year during the deposition of the Post-Barreiras Sediments. This value indicates that, at least locally, tectonic reactivation was more intense during the post-rift stage in the eastern margin of the South American plate than previously recognized.

Vestiges fragiles et longtemps mésestimés, les empreintes constituent une source précieuse d’informations concernant la fréquentation d’un site. Actuellement largement étudiées en contexte de plein air, elles le sont beaucoup moins en grotte, contexte dans lequel leur étude a connu son apogée entre les années 1970 et le début des années 2000. Ces dernières années, l’intérêt des préhistoriens pour l’ichnologie en milieu souterrain s’est de nouveau manifesté et s’est concrétisé par la reprise de l’étude des empreintes dans plusieurs grottes ornées. Notre étude s’inscrit dans cette dynamique et vise à contribuer à la recherche autour des empreintes à partir du registre karstique et à participer au renouvèlement de la discipline en Préhistoire. Notre intérêt s’est porté sur les empreintes des grottes de Fontanet (Ariège) et de Cussac (Dordogne), d’abord du point de vue de leur formation et de leur conservation au cours du temps, puis de leur contribution à la compréhension de l’appréhension du monde souterrain par l’Homme au Paléolithique.À travers des observations, inventaires, mesures in situ et un travail ex situ grâce aux outils d’imagerie tridimensionnelle, nous avons mené une étude morphologique et morphométrique des empreintes fossiles. La singularité des empreintes de pied de Cussac nous a, en outre, amené à développer une approche expérimentale afin d’appréhender les différents facteurs ayant pu influencer leur morphologie au moment de leur formation et après celle-ci (taphonomie, port de chaussant, autre ?). Ces expérimentations ont mis en évidence un impact du substrat et de sa remobilisation sur la morphologie générale et les dimensions de l'empreinte, ainsi que la préservation de détails comme les orteils. La réalisation d'empreintes à l'aide de chaussants expérimentaux a conduit de plus à envisager l'utilisation de ce type de protection dans la grotte. Notre approche à la fois pluri et interdisciplinaire permet d’affirmer l’unicité des grottes de Fontanet et de Cussac d’un point de vue ichnologique, archéologique et géomorphologique. Tandis qu’à Cussac, la présence humaine semble avoir été limitée (aller/s et retour/s) et avoir répondu à un objectif précis (réalisation des gravures et dépôts humains ?), à Fontanet, la fréquentation semble s’être inscrite dans la durée et a impliqué plusieurs catégories d’individus (présence de juvéniles) et des activités variées.Des comportements souterrains similaires et qui se retrouvent durant l’ensemble du Paléolithique sont aussi mis en évidence (exploration globale des cavités, etc.). Ces travaux se présentent alors comme une contribution essentielle aux discussions relatives à la fonction de ces deux cavités. / Tracks, which are among the most fragile and underestimated archaeological remains, represent a valuable source of information on site frequentation. In the past few years, they were widely studied in open air contexts. However, their analysis in caves, a context in which their study reached its peak between the 1970s and the early 2000s, is much less common. Recently, interest towards ichnology in subterranean environments re-emerged among prehistorians, and the study of tracks in several decorated caves was resumed. Our study is part of this dynamic and aims to contribute to research on tracks from the karst register and to participate in the renewal of the discipline in Prehistory. We study the footprints of the caves of Fontanet (Ariège) and Cussac (Dordogne), focusing firstly on their formation and conservation over time, and secondly on their contribution to the understanding of the subterranean environment appropriation by human in the Palaeolithic.Through observations, inventories, in situ measurements and ex situ work based on three-dimensional imaging tools, we conducted a morphological and morphometric study of fossil tracks. In addition, we have developed an experimental approach to understand the various factors that may have influenced the morphology of footprints at the time of their formation and since their formation. This multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary approach makes it possible to affirm the uniqueness of the Fontanet and Cussac caves from an ichnological, archaeological and geomorphological point of view and at the same time reveals similar behaviours that can be found throughout the Paleolithic period. The profile of individuals who have frequented these two cavities gradually takes shape. We propose several hypotheses concerning their behaviour and activities in this confined and naturally constraining space and contribute to the discussions relating to the function of these two cavities.