SOFT-SEDIMENT ICHNOTAXA FROM THE EOCENE-MIOCENE WHITE LIMESTONE GROUP, JAMAICA, WEST INDIES

The carbonate–dominated White Limestone Group (Middle Eocene-Late Miocene) represents the most widely distributed lithostratigraphic units of Jamaica, West Indies, occupying 65% of its surface area. The group contains abundant bioerosional structures and a moderately diverse, poorly-moderately preserved soft-sediment ichnofauna that until now has not been documented. The latter ichnotaxa, the subject of this contribution, comprise Bergaueria hemispherica Crimes, Legg, Marcos and Arboleya, 1977, Chondrites furcatus von Sternberg, 1833, Chondrites ispp., Circulichnus montanus Vialov, 1971, Dactyloidites ottoi (Geinitz, 1849), Glockerichnus parvula (Ksiazkiewicz, 1970), Hormosiroidea isp., Ophiomorpha nodosa Lundgren, 1891, Palaeophycus tubularis Hall, 1847, P. herberti (de Saporta, 1872), Planolites beverleyensis (Billings, 1862), P. montanus Ritcher, 1937, Schaubcylindrichnus coronus Frey and Howard, 1981, Scolicia strozzii (Savi and Meneghini, 1850), Skolithos linearis Haldeman, 1840, Taenidium cameronensis (Brady, 1947), T. serpentinum Heer, 1877, Teichichnus isp. 1, Teichichnus isp. 2, Thalassinoides horizontalis Myrow, 1995 and T. paradoxicus (Woodward, 1830). The White Limestone Group is currently divided into 6 units, namely the Troy, Swanswick, Somerset, Moneague, Montpelier and Pelleu Island formations. Of these only the Moneague Formation (O. nodosa and Planolites beverleyensis); the Pelleu Island Formation (Palaeophycus tubularis, Planolites beverleyensis, P. montanus, Schaubcylindrichnus coronus, Scolicia strozzii, Skolithos linearis, Teichichnus ispp. and Thalassinoides horizontalis); and the Montpelier Formation (that accounts for all other forms including the facies-crossing Palaeophycus tubularis, Planolites beverleyensis and P. montanus) have yielded soft-sediment ichnotaxa. The presence or absence and variation in ichnofaunal diversity exhibited in those formations that actually contain trace fossils may have been influenced by both primary and secondary factors.