Sedimentologic and paleoecologic implications for keratose-like sponges in geologic records

초록

Keratose sponges, composed mainly of spongin fibers, are scarcely known in geologic records, whereas similar reticulate fibrous structures preserved in carbonates have been increasingly reported during the last decade. This study aims to compile reported examples of these structures, tentatively called as "keratose-like sponges", and discuss their geologic implication. Keratose-like sponges co-occurred largely with microbialites in the Cambrian-Ordovician, Carboniferous and early Triassic, corresponding broadly with the periods of microbialite dominance. This may have resulted from subdued reef-building metazoans and an optimum seawater condition for calcium carbonate precipitation during those times. In certain periods, keratose-like sponges possibly functioned as one of the principal sediment producers and could have stabilized reef frameworks, contributing in development of marine benthic ecosystems. © 2019 The Geological Society of Korea. All rights reserved.

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